


Astral Planes

by afrakaday



Category: Battlestar Galactica, Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Art, F/M, Sculpture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-02
Updated: 2012-07-02
Packaged: 2017-11-09 01:37:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/449810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afrakaday/pseuds/afrakaday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bill and Laura frak, date, beat cancer, buy a house, become grandparents, and get married.  In that order.  Attacks-never-happen AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Via Familia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a family way...eventually.

Laura paused in the doorway, balancing the heavy box between her hip and the jamb so she could wipe the sweat from her brow. Moving was a bitch, she mused. But worth it, she concluded as Bill came into view wearing only Fleet-issue tanks and cargo pants.

They had closed on the two-story brick home in a leafy suburb of Caprica City the previous week. Movers had delivered their furnishings and possessions from her condo, Bill's apartment, and the things he'd kept in storage from Galactica, and after a few days of unpacking, they were planning to spend the night for the first time in their new home.

She laughed inwardly at the thought of the year-long progression of their unlikely courtship culminating in cohabitation and even owning a home together. If it had been a mistake to sleep with the gruff Commander following the decommissioning ceremony on the Galactica, it was one she would never regret. She'd both been handed a death sentence and ended things with Adar that day, after all; little wonder, then, that she'd been more forward than she otherwise might have been when she recognized her attraction to Bill as such.

* ~ * ~ *

She’d thought him horrid at first, condescending, intransigent, and unwilling to listen to her suggestions. Of course, she had more or less taunted him; I heard you’re one of those people who’s actually afraid of computers. Still, it was an inauspicious beginning.

His speech had resonated with her, though; Why are we as a people worth saving? Sooner or later the day comes when you can’t hide from the things you’ve done anymore. His unexpected statements had taken her thoughts off herself and the diagnosis she’d just received to think about the bigger picture. She was grateful for the distraction and found herself reconsidering her earlier impression of the man.

When she sought him out after the ceremony and congratulated him on his speech, she was shocked when the simple act of shaking his hand sent a rush of moisture to her panties. She allowed herself to really look into his unusual deep blue eyes; as he held her gaze and let her look, she found an unexpected compassion there. The smallest of knowing smiles as their hands remained clasped signified a truce from their earlier conflict, a tacit agreement to start their acquaintance over now that the formalities had ended.

He’d offered his arm to escort her to the reception. Over drinks, Laura inquired as to his post-decommissioning plans, and learned that he would be retiring along with his ship. “Full circle,” he’d lamented. “I started my military career on the Old Girl, makes sense that it would end with her too.” She apologized for hastening his retirement by selecting his ship for museumification, but he’d waved it off with only a modicum of melancholy. “No, she’ll make a good museum. She’s seen a lot of action in her day.” Then he’d looked at her and asked, “What about you?”

Laura wasn’t sure what had made her interpret that question in the most base way possible, but for some reason she’d flirted. “I’ve seen a fair amount of action in my day as well, Commander.” As he picked his jaw up off the floor, she’d backpedaled. “I mean...my duties as Secretary of Education keep me very busy.” She tried a dose of honesty to regain some distance from her innuendo. “Though I don’t know for how much longer. I didn’t leave the Hall of Ministry on the best of terms this morning. Conflict with my boss over how to deal with the teachers’ strike.” Oh, and I have six months to live. Right. She forced herself to push the thought aside.

Her regard for the Commander grew when he leaned toward her conspiratorially and whispered, “I’ve always thought Adar was a moron.”

She giggled. “A fair assessment.”

A thought occurred to her, and Laura reluctantly asked him, reaching out to gently touch his wrist so he’d know she hadn’t taken offense at his confession,“I don’t mean to monopolize your time, Commander-- do you need to...?” She gestured around the crowded room populated with officers and civilian contractors enjoying the open bar.

He smiled at her, a big toothy grin she wouldn’t have thought could possibly come from the stern man she’d met a few hours earlier. “Nah,” he rumbled. “This party’s more for the civvies. We’ll have our own send-off in a few days.”

“Oh, I see,” Laura said. “Perhaps...”

“Did that tour guide in the bad suit take you around to the Observation Deck?” he interrupted her. “It’s worth seeing.”

She nodded a little too quickly. “Yes, that will be part of the school tour, so it was included in my visit today. It was very impressive.” Gods, Laura, the man was probably about to offer to take you there himself, she realized too late. She decided to make up for it with a bolder approach. “I would love to see more of the ship, though. Areas that weren’t included in my tour.”

He'd regarded her thoughtfully. "I can do that." He took her empty glass and handed it to a private, leaning in to whisper something to the young man, who had scurried away from the party immediately. Turning back to Laura, he'd again offered his arm. "Shall we?"

She had smiled at him, grateful that he had apparently taken it upon himself to keep her company; otherwise, she'd be wont to enjoy a few too many cocktails before morosely heading back to her guest quarters.

He walked her to the galley, a ward room, and even the gym. "Smells like the inside of a shoe," he'd joked, "but other than running around the ship itself, this is about all we get in terms of physical activity. And I don't run, so...." He shrugged.

"Not a runner, huh? So what do you do? No, wait, let me guess."

"Okay, but only one guess."

She looked around the gym and took in the free weights, several stationary bicycles, two treadmills, a leg press, and a bench press before her gaze landed on a crusty-looking boxing ring surrounded by a couple hanging bags. Turning to him and trying to discern the definition of his upper body through his gray wool tunic, she'd said decisively, "You're a boxer."

"Right in one, Madam Secretary." Those deep blue eyes glinted at her playfully.

"I'm a fight fan, though I don't box, myself."

He reached out and lightly pinched her bicep. "Maybe you should give it a try."

Shaking her head, she'd responded with a short, "No," before softening and asking, "So what else is there to see on your ship?"

He held the hatch open for her to return to the corridor, both of them drawing deep breaths of less-offensive air as they began walking. "Well, I could show you the water recycling system or the FTL drives. Or," he swallowed, "the CO's quarters."

It took a moment before realization dawned on her. "Oh! Your personal living area, you mean?"

He looked at her directly. “Right.”

Why the frak not, Laura? You’re newly single, dying, and physically attracted to this surprisingly nice man. Go with him. See what happens, she’d thought.

Suddenly shy, she hummed affirmatively. “I’d like that. I can’t really imagine what living on a ship for years at a time must be like.”

“There are definite advantages to being the CO, and the living space is one of them,” he conceded. “You saw the pilots’ quarters? The duty locker?”

She smiled. “Reminded me of summer camp.”

He chuckled. “That’s a nice way of putting it.”

They walked for a few more minutes, Laura totally lost in the maze of corridors but for the Commander’s sure guidance, before arriving in front of a hatch labeled “Commander’s Quarters.”

“After you,” he said, holding the hatch open.

She stepped through, her mouth gaping slightly at the tidy but very comfortable-looking quarters before her. Whatever her first or even second impression of the Commander may have been, she hadn’t been prepared for the myriad books, the soft lighting (so comforting after the harsh florescent lights ubiquitous throughout the ship), the tasteful art and knick-knacks. It was, she mused, such a contrast, not only to the rest of the ship itself, but to, for instance, Richard’s office in the Hall of Ministry, which despite doubling as a love nest, entirely lacked the warmth of these quarters. While the room contained substantial evidence of the Commander’s heavy workload--a desk laden with papers, overflowing filing cabinets, and the like--this was definitely a home. Commander Adama’s home, she realized. And he was sharing it with her.

She set her purse down on the floor. “This is lovely, Commander.” She turned to face him. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“No need for my title in here, please, call me Bill.” He’d busied himself with a bottle of ambrosia chilling in an ice bucket on the coffee table, pouring two glasses. Rising from the broad leather sectional couch, he handed her a glass. “Ambrosia?”

“Thank you. Bill.” She tested the sound of the name. “And I’d like it if you called me Laura.” She looked back at the ice bucket and thought back to the circumstances preceding their departure from the party. “Did you...” She shook her head, amused. “Never mind.” Sipping her drink daintily, she wandered toward the bookshelves in the anteroom. “You have quite a collection, Bill.”

He stepped up to join her. “Even old Viper jocks can read, you know,” he said, teasing. “I like lots of genres, but nothing beats a good mystery.”

“Oh!” she gasped, then blushed. “I just finished the one book I brought with me on this trip. A Murder on Picon.”

“The Secretary of Education reads hard-boiled fiction?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. She just grinned in an unspoken admission of guilt.

He scanned the shelves and located a slim volume, retrieving it with surprising grace. “So you must love Edward Prima, right?” He handed her the book.

“Dark Day? Oh, I am so embarrassed to admit this, but this is a classic, and yet I’ve never read it.” She opened to the flyleaf and smiled at the “Wm. Adama” written in a precise hand in the upper corner. Turning the page over, her mouth dropped. “A first edition?”

He smirked at her surprise. “It’s a pretty good mystery. I think you’ll like it.” He closed the book and placed his hands over hers around it, and she closed her eyes at the involuntary surge of energy that coursed through her in response to his touch. “To read on your transport back home.”

“I...I couldn’t,” she stuttered. “I’ll get it back to you...”

“It’s a gift,” he said firmly. “Never lend books.”

Realizing it would be futile to argue the point with the Commander in light of her inability to sway him and ultimate concession earlier in the day, Laura gulped slowly. “Thank you, then, Bill.” She clasped the book to her chest and rose up on her toes to give him a feather-light kiss on the cheek.

As she withdrew, she realized he’d moved his hand to her hip to steady her, and was making no effort to repatriate it. In fact, he was caressing it with a gentle pressure.

“I’m sorry we got off to a rough start earlier,” he said huskily.

She shook her head. “Don’t be.” She sighed. “I...was having a bad day, could have been a lot more diplomatic about the computer thing.”

He tugged her closer to him, so they stood face to face, his hands resting lightly on both hips, hers just barely touching his. "I hope your day has gotten better, Laura."

"It definitely has," she agreed breathily.

He moved his right hand up from her hip to caress her jawline, stroking her hair back from her face and cupping the back of her head as he lowered his lips to hers.

His kisses were savoring and unhurried; she hadn’t been kissed like this in years. She threaded her fingers through his hair, pulling him even closer to her as she moaned against his mouth. The parting of her lips allowed him entry, and as tongues tangled, things quickly became too intense for her to continue holding both a glass of ambrosia and a Prima first edition. “Bill...” she muttered as he continued kissing her, “Bill...”

“Hmmm?” He sucked her bottom lip and ran his hand over her ass.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a shelf at arms length and shifted against him slightly to withdraw the arm holding the book from between them. “I just want to...ooh”--his hand made its way from her ass to slide up her stomach, under her suit jacket, seeking more sensitive flesh-- “put these things down.”

His eyes shifted to her hand, and he took her glass for her, setting it on the shelf next to the book and his own glass. Turning back to her, he scrutinized her face briefly before reaching for the hook and eye fasteners of her jacket. “You sure about this?"

She nodded. “Yes sir.” He laughed at her invocation of their earlier encounter, now turned on its head. He slid her jacket off her shoulders and arms, draping it neatly over a chair.

Curious, she played at the front of his uniform, sliding her fingers over the seam experimentally. “Have you got anything on under this?”

He gave her a playful grin and pulled the top out from his waistband. “Go ahead and find out.”

Delicate fingers found the single fastener at the upper right of his chest and tugged to loosen it. The tunic fell open easily and she could see that he wore the same set of double tanks she’d seen on so many crew members earlier in the day.

"So easy to take off," she murmured, rubbing her hands over his firm chest, "just a single button..."

He shrugged the jacket off his arms and it dropped to the floor. In one smooth motion, he swept her into his arms and carried her toward the back of his quarters. Her shoes didn't make the journey with her, falling of her feet when he picked her up and tumbling next to his abandoned jacket.

"Bed?" she asked, toying with the short hair at the nape of his neck.

"Rack," he corrected her. "We call it a rack."

She giggled. "Anything you say, sir."

He lowered her gently to the rack, spartan and narrow but neatly made. Leaning over her, he touched her cheek, the wrinkles at the sides of her eyes. "You are beautiful when you laugh like that."

She closed her eyes, uncomfortable with the intensity of his evaluation, and reached for the hem of her blouse. Leaning up slightly, she pulled it up and over her head, leaving her in just her bra, skirt, and stockings.

Laura reached forward to unfasten his belt, struggling with the clasp at first but eventually figuring it out. The fly of his uniform pants went next. She tried to slide the pants down, but they didn’t go very far due to his position kneeling over her.

Sighing, she went to work unzipping her own skirt, giving him a pointed look. He took the hint and stood up, shucking his pants to the floor and stripping off his tanks before rejoining her in the rack. He helped her slide her skirt down her legs. “Better,” he said, admiring the stockings and garter belt she wore.

“You know, Madam Secretary,” he nibbled on her ear, “I’ve never made love in my quarters before.” His breath was hot and heavy as he spoke. “Always wanted to...never had the opportunity.” He reached behind her and unclasped her bra. “And now...just as I’m being forced into retirement, in part due to a decision you made..." He tugged the straps down her shoulders and pulled the garment off, tossing it to the floor. "...Here you are.” A caress to the bare skin of her upper thighs, and he unsnapped the garters. “In my rack.” He rained a trail of lazy kisses from her breasts to her navel. “Like some kind of dream come true.”

"I'm no one's dream girl," she grumbled.

He shook his head in wonder as he rolled the stockings down her legs. "Do you really not know how sexy you are?" He ran his hand from the bottom of her foot all the way back up her long smooth leg, until it was just ghosting at the gusset of her panties. His fingers fluttered over her pussy, and she began to push back against his touch in search of more contact before she hooked her thumbs in the waistband and arched her back to pull them down and off her body, exposing herself fully to him.

Laura reached for him, trying to pull him on top of her to feel the crush of his comforting bulk. Feel, she wanted to feel him, all of him, so that she wouldn’t have to feel all the other things weighing so heavily on her mind. But he wasn’t complying; her wanton display had proved irresistible, though it hadn’t been her intention, and she happily resigned herself to the change of plan when he stroked his tongue through her wetness and placed an uninhibited open-mouthed kiss to her clit.

“Oooh.” She couldn’t help but moan. Emboldened, he suckled the sensitive nub as she writhed beneath him, thrusting her hips closer to his face, seeking more sensation. A thick digit slid inside her, moving in rhythm as his tongue to her clit. When her pants grew quicker, he kept a finger inside her and replaced his mouth with his thumb on her clit, moving up her body so that they were once again face to face.

“Laura,” he breathed, close enough that she could smell the muskiness of her own scent coming off him. “I want you on top.”

She whimpered, half in surprise at his request, and half in despair when he withdrew his hand from her pussy. She gave no resistance, however, when he used his now-free hands to grasp her waist and roll them both so she was astride him.

He still wore his threadbare boxers, and she gave a few short thrusts along his length with the fabric barrier still in place, enjoying the feeling of the soft fabric against her clit but needing to feel him inside her again. She scooted back down his thighs so she could pull the boxers down and off his hips, his erection springing free as she did so. She took a moment to admire the impressive appendage, the smooth round head and the dark skin of his shaft. She gave it a few exploratory licks and sucks, engulfing it completely just once before sitting up with a wicked grin. Finally pulling the boxers off his legs completely, she returned to straddling him and teased her slick heat just a few more times against his now-bare length before taking him in hand to guide him and sinking down on him fully.

They both groaned at the perfect fit they made. Once he was fully seated, she rocked back and forth, her mind blissfully empty but for the amazing sensations his cock was creating within her.

His fingers played at the curve of her waist as she shamelessly sought pleasure from him. Neither one spoke; breaths, moans, and touches communicated effectively enough for these strangers. She leaned down over him, encouraging him to lave her breasts and tug at her nipples with his teeth as she rode him increasingly harder and faster.

“Let go, Laura,” he finally whispered against her ear. “Get yourself off. I want you to come.”

She’d already been close, but that last command pushed her over the edge. Her inner muscles spasmed and clenched, and she thrust a few more times to ride out the waves of her orgasm before collapsing atop his chest, their bodies remaining joined, his cock still hard and pulsing.

“Oh gods, Bill.” She kissed him languidly. “That was amazing. Now how do you want to frak me?”

He chuckled and didn’t reply, instead holding her to him as he flipped her over onto her back. He made sure she was comfortable before bracing his hands against the bulkhead and re-entering her in a smooth long stroke.

She was wet and slick, and he thrust easily. Her mind and body were both spent from her earlier orgasm, and she pulled her knees up to allow him to penetrate deeper. The new angle hit her just right, and suddenly she was a participant again, working her hips in counter-rhythm to his sure strokes. His eyes were trained on her between kisses; his gratitude, admiration, grew to be too much, and she turned her head to the side and let her eyes drift shut as he continued to pound heavily into her. They flew open again when he reached down between them and flicked her clit.

Laura gasped. His eyes caught hers, insistent, daring her to look away.

Come for me. I know you can.

She nodded and pulled her knees up even closer to her body as he continued to work her exposed clit in light circles. He was waiting for her.

The thought of being given that power, that he would hold off on her account, touched her deeply. When she felt the impending orgasm, she pulled his head down to hers and kissed him as she came, letting his mouth swallow her moans of pleasure. His shuddering moans followed, his mouth still pressed to hers and his hands grasping her hips while he came deep inside her.

He’d immediately pulled out and gently cleaned her up first, then himself. Laura was too exhausted to move, or perhaps just too satiated. She barely registered that he’d turned out most of the lights before rejoining her in the rack.

Bill kissed her temple. “Rest,” he whispered.

 

Laura woke in the middle of the night, feeling claustrophobic in the narrow rack with Bill’s arm slung over her waist. He had thoughtfully suggested that she take the side of the rack furthest from the bulkhead, but she wasn’t used to actually sleeping with a lover, and she had a sudden urge to abscond to her bland guest quarters until it was time for her transport to leave.

She forced herself to breathe and try to enjoy the pleasant aspects of physical proximity. The warmth of his skin; the corded strength of the muscles beneath; the way that, even in repose, he seemed determined to touch her bare skin, gently, reverently. The slightly spicy masculine scent, soap and shampoo mixed with the sweat of their earlier exertions. She took it all in, reminding herself that it was unlikely she’d experience this kind of closeness with another person ever again.

Choking back a sob, she turned her back to him and manipulated her fingers against the flesh of her left breast, kneading and rolling to locate her adversary.

Half-asleep, Bill turned to spoon her and ran his hand up from her stomach to her chest, stilling her roving hand over her breast. “Laura? ‘S okay?” he slurred.

She bit her bottom lip, willing the tears from falling, even though he wouldn’t see them in the dark. “Yeah.”

He pushed her hair aside to nuzzle her ear and whisper softly. “Go back to sleep.”

She wanted him again, wanted to forget about what she would be going back to in the morning. Rotating her hips against his, she whispered back. “What if I’m not ready to?”

His cock instantly hardened against her movements, and his hands fondled her bare breasts as he nipped her earlobe. “Okay by me.”

She wasn’t ready to have sex with him face to face again; their first time had been a bit too intense for her, those blue eyes seemingly able to pierce through her emotional armor. If she could hardly bear to face her life’s choices and bleak prospects, why should he? No, it would either have to be like this, spooning, or...

“Oooph!” Lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t been prepared for Bill to slide an arm under her stomach and in one swift motion deposit her underneath him in the center of the rack on her stomach. He was on top of her, alternately kissing and nipping her shoulders and upper back, pushing her hair aside to nuzzle her neck as his hand crept down to toy with her clit and his erection ground insistently against her ass.

When she pushed up off the mattress and bucked against him needily, he grasped her right thigh and brought it atop his. The position spread her wide for him as he breached her and slid his right hand over her hip to reach her clit. As she adjusted to keep her balance in the off-kilter position, he began pumping his hips against her slowly but determinedly.

Slightly taken aback by this rapid turn of events, she turned her head over her shoulder to face him, his craggy face illuminated slightly by the light streaming through the translucent glass door to the head he’d left on for her in case she needed it. “Bill,” she said, arching her back further to allow him deeper penetration. “This is really some move you’ve got.”

He snickered and placed another love bite to the back of her neck, holding her against him tightly as he thrust. “I call it the Adama Maneuver,” he growled, picking up the pace and showing her the benefits of the novel position.

When she awoke in the morning, her mouth felt mothballed, her hair was impossibly mussed, and her lower back and thigh muscles ached as they hadn’t since she’d run her last half-marathon a few years earlier. Carefully extracting herself from Bill’s grasp, she set about collecting her clothes. She took them into the head and dressed, trying and failing to make herself look presentable; while some clothes, like her jacket, had been hung up, others, like her blouse and skirt, had been flung to the floor in a fit of passion, and were now worse for the wear. As she snapped her garters in place, she supposed she should be thankful that Bill had taken care not to put runs in her stockings.

She dragged her fingers through her hair and deemed it hopeless. It was snarled and tangled and voluminous; it looked to her like a sign announcing, “Just Been Frakked.” Her eyes came to rest on his toothbrush, standing in a cup by the sink, and, contemplating the disgusting taste in her mouth of swapped spit and ancient ambrosia residue, she shrugged and borrowed the implement, giving it a careful rinse before and after brushing.

Padding across his quarters from the head back to the anteroom, she hastily located her pumps and sat at his desk to put them on. She nearly jumped out of her seat when she heard a husky voice rumble behind her. “Going somewhere?”

She turned, somewhat guiltily. Bill was wearing a fuzzy brown robe and, it appeared, nothing else. “Let me just throw some clothes on.”

Meekly, she nodded. “I need to pick up my things from my guest quarters and meet my transport at the hangar deck.”

Bill smiled sadly. “I’ll take you.” He turned, she presumed to go dress. Noticing the copy of Dark Day on the shelf next to his desk, she walked over and picked it up. He’d seemed genuine in his offer of giving it to her; it might not be such a bad little memento of her trip. She slipped it into her purse and sat on his couch, waiting.

He returned shortly, wearing a fresh uniform and the previous day’s stubble. She blushed to think of that stubble against her shoulder and neck as he...

That’s over, Laura, she chided herself. Time to let it go. Save that memory for a few months from now, when you really need it. She rose, overly brightly. “Shall we?”

The walk to the guest quarters was quiet. There were a few crewmembers about, but for the most part Laura felt gratefully inconspicuous. They arrived and Bill waited outside as Laura quickly grabbed her rolling suitcase, which had never even gotten unpacked, as well as the few toiletries she’d used in freshening up before the decommissioning ceremony the night before.

She opened the hatch, and Bill stepped in before she could step out. He closed it behind him forcefully and spun so she was backed up against it, his hips pressing into hers, his hand cupping the side of her face as his lips descended on hers.

He took her breath away, so that when he pulled back and asked, “Can I see you again?” she could only look at him dumbly before sputtering out the vaguest of answers.

“I, um...don’t know?” Her eyes implored him not to ask for clarification.

“Maybe?” he asked instead, seemingly amenable to keeping things vague between them.

She nodded. “Maybe.” Smiling, she kissed him this time. “Thank you for the private tour, Commander. It was most”--she grabbed his ass and gave one last squeeze to the firm muscles--”instructional.”

Bill gave her a knowing look. “It was my pleasure, Madam Secretary.”

“Mine too.” With a final peck to his lips, she gave him what she hoped was a friendly smile. “Goodbye, Bill.”

He opened the hatch and pointed down a corridor. “Straight until it ends, then turn right. It’ll take you right to the hangar deck.” He reached out to toy with a lock of her hair before his hand drifted down to squeeze her shoulder. “Take care, Laura.”

As she’d turned and walked away from him, she figured she’d never see him again, but at least she had a pleasant memory to get her through what she expected to be the final months of her life. Still, the experience had rejuvenated her in some ways, reminded her of the benefits a lover other than the President of the Colonies could bestow given the privacy, time, and inclination.

 

Laura had come back to Caprica after the decommissioning and made good on her promise to Richard to fight for her job, which in turn gave her the focus and will to fight for her life as well by seeking aggressive, experimental cancer treatment. She had faced the fact that she’d be going through the exhausting process by herself, staying at the hospital as needed and using her access to the government car service when she was too weak or ill to drive herself. But three weeks into her treatment, an unexpected visitor--her first--arrived at her room while she was resting.

He'd entered with a bouquet of flowers, wearing civilian dress and a sheepish, if hopeful, smile. "I missed you," he explained simply. "Wanted to see you again, did some asking around...and here I am," he gestured around the sunny private room. "Hope that's okay."

Pique warred with exhaustion, and exhaustion won; she was too tired to fight or even kick him out, not when he was looking at her like that with those deep blue eyes-- tenderly, warmly. Maybe there is someone here for me after all, she'd thought, shocking herself. It must have been extremely difficult for him to find her, as very few people knew about her illness and even fewer knew where she was being treated. She was at a loss to make sense of him being here until she looked back at his hopeful expression and sighed. "Commander," she'd said in greeting from her bed, giving a wave with her unintubated hand. "Have a seat."

He first set the bouquet on her bedside table. She was both embarrassed and relieved that there were no other arrangements in the room; she knew she must look pathetic, but at least he wouldn’t think she had other men in her life.

Bill had placed a kiss to the papery skin of her cheek before proceeding to remind her that it was no longer Commander, just Bill, and that his retirement had gone through and he was now living in Caprica City. "Just a lonely old man with a rat-trap apartment and books for company," he'd said self-deprecatingly. "Who can't get the memory of this amazing woman out of his head."

She'd hummed. "Oh, really?" She offered up her hand to him, feeling the familiar surge of electricity when he clasped it gently. “Too bad. No amazing woman here. Only a sick one.” She smiled wistfully. “Who keeps thinking about the most wonderful experience she had recently aboard a very old battlestar.”

“Me too, Laura.” His eyes drifted from her flannel pajama-clad body, to the bedside table, to the small upholstered chair by the window. Sitting on the chair was his copy of Dark Day. He smiled and crossed the room to pick it up. “You reading this now?”

She nodded and spoke slowly. “I started to on the trip back from the Galactica, but I was so distracted thinking about how to deal with Adar and the strike, and then setting up treatment, that I held off. But I’m glad, it gives me something to look forward to during treatment. I try to read whenever I’m not nauseous.”

He sat in the chair next to her bed. “Do you mind if I read to you? Starting at the beginning?”

She smiled, though it was a struggle. “There’s nothing I’d like better,” she whispered as her eyes drifted shut.

To her amazement, he kept coming back. He kept her company over months of stem-cell treatments and checkups, picking out books from his collection to read to her. He supported her as she continued to work by bringing flowers and lunches to her office at the Ministry of Education and making sure she didn’t stay too late. He made her feel desirable and womanly whether making love to her on her good days or just holding her on the bad. He waited anxiously with her in her doctor’s office as they received the news that she'd overcome the odds and her cancer was in remission. And he celebrated that news with her by asking if she wanted to move in together. She thanked the Gods every day that Bill had insistently barged his way into her life and made living so very worthwhile by showering her with care and affection she surely didn’t deserve.

* ~ * ~ *

The object of her thoughts frowned at the sight of her holding the box, lifting it easily from her straining hands.

"You don't have to move this stuff, Laura. I'll do it.” Bill’s concern was both evident and endearing. “Why don’t you take a break? You’ve been moving things from room to room all morning.”

"I wouldn’t have to if the movers had actually put the boxes in rooms according to the labels,” she complained, indicating the bold writing on the side of the box. "I was taking that into the library. It's all books." She ran her hand appreciatively along his strong upper arm. "Come on. I’ll take my break in there."

He followed her through the cardboard- and bubble wrap-strewn hallway to the room they'd decided would be the library: her office, Bill's reading room. It was large and sunny, and already contained Laura’s desk, several comfortable chairs, and a squishy leather-upholstered loveseat and matching ottoman they’d picked out. Bill’s handwoven Gemenese rug cast an inviting red glow and tied everything together. Laura was very much looking forward to spending time with Bill in this room.

Bill set the box down near the built-in shelves as Laura gracefully lowered herself into a corner of the loveseat. Bill joined her and looked around the room appraisingly. “It’s coming along,” he observed.

She smiled. “I know. Once we get the books unpacked, we can start decorating. I think this room needs to have some art. And artifacts,” she added, thinking of the antique maps of the Colonies and star charts she’d inherited from her father.

“I thought the Monclair that was over my couch in my quarters on Galactica would look good in the living room,” he offered. “I don’t think it works as well in here. And it’s a little too intense for the dining room.” His gaze came to rest on the generous windowsill. It was large enough to be a window seat, but he and Laura had decided against using it as such, both realizing they preferred more comfortable seating options. “Maybe some sculpture. We could put something there,” he said, pointing at the window.

Laura nodded. “Hmm, I like that idea.” She leaned into his side and gave him a kiss. “You have such good taste, love.”

His eyes darkened. “So do you,” he growled, slipping his tongue past her lips to drink of her deeply.

She returned the kiss, but eventually giggled and leaned her forehead against his. “Maybe we should get to work on setting up the bedroom,” she suggested.

* ~ * ~ *

A week after moving in, much progress had been made. Laura had taken that time off from work, and they had not only unpacked all the boxes and arranged all the furniture, but made love in every room of the house as well.

They lay twined in each other’s limbs and cool sheets as the afternoon sunlight filtered in through gauzy sage-colored curtains. “This feels so decadent,” sighed Laura. “Don’t wanna go back to work.”

Bill grinned. "Hey, I don't want you to, either. Having you all to myself has been wonderful." He patted her hand encouragingly. "But the children of the Colonies need you, Madam Secretary.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm, then the inside of her wrist, sending shivers down her spine.

“What do you think about having the kids over here for dinner this weekend?” he asked tentatively.

“Mmmm. Yes,” she murmured agreeably, tracing her fingers along his chest.

"The kids" meant Bill's son Zak and his daughter-in-law, Kara. Kara was a flight instructor at the academy in Delphi; had been Zak's instructor, actually, until she'd flunked him out of Basic Flight, telling him that she loved him, but he just didn't have the feel for piloting a Viper. Now Zak happily ran a coffee shop-cum-art gallery near the flight academy, serving up lattes to stressed nuggets and advice to fellow flunkees.

Laura had never actually met Bill's other son, Lee, though certainly his Viper acrobatics at the ceremony had been impressive. She wasn't entirely sure as to the reasons for his estrangement from Bill, but she did know it hurt Bill that Lee wouldn't agree to see him when he was on shore leave from his assignment on the Battlestar Pegasus and she knew now, although she hadn’t at the time, that Lee had practically refused to talk to him during the decommissioning. From what Zak told them, Lee wasn't very keen to get together with him and Kara, either.

Laura looked up at Bill, who had the countenance of an extremely content man. "Dinner with Zak and Kara sounds lovely, Bill," she told him. "I know they've been wanting to see the house."

"Not sure if I'm ready to share this place with anyone but you yet, though." He gathered her into his embrace. "We'll have to start wearing clothes on a regular basis again."

She laughed, amused. "We were gonna have to do that eventually anyway, Bill. Why don’t you see if they can make it next weekend." She then burst into another fit, this one involuntary. "Stop tickling me!"

"But you're so accessible. I can't help myself, and before I know it, you'll be back in your impenetrable power suits again."

"Admit it, you like my suits."

"Only the skirt ones, and only when you're going up a ladder."

She gasped. "Why Commander! I never would have pegged you for the type."

He wagged his eyebrows at her. "No?"

Sitting up, she playfully shook her finger at him. "I hope I'm the only visiting dignitary you ever subjected to such crass treatment on your ship, Bill," she lectured.

Their eyes caught as they both remembered the “treatment” Laura had received from Bill on his ship after the decommissioning ceremony; as far as they both knew, she had been the only visiting dignitary ever to experience the “Adama Maneuver” aboard the battlestar.

“You wanna...?” asked Bill with a raised eyebrow. Grinning, Laura stretched her back in preparation.

* ~ * ~ *

The chime of the doorbell interrupted Laura’s flower-arranging. “Honey, can you get the door?” she called to Bill.

Hearing no response, she wiped her hands on the apron she wore over a red wrap dress and strode purposefully toward the entryway, opening the door with a wide smile. “Zak! Kara! Come on in!”

The beaming couple, already wrapped up in each other, tumbled into the house and broke apart enough to sandwich Laura in a hug. Their greetings surrounded her in stereo.

“Hey, Laura.” Zak kissed her cheek.  
“Old Lady! Nice to see ya!” Kara clapped her back.

Laura took a step back, finding their exuberance slightly overwhelming. “You two look great. Married life really agrees with you, huh?” The couple had eloped while attending the Aquarian summerfest several months prior. She knew Bill was sad that he hadn’t been there, but as they explained it, it was a spur of the moment decision; “We were partying, out of our minds, and she woke up one morning and dragged me and a priest down to the river, then we spent the rest of the day getting tattoos,” according to Zak. Moreover, Laura had been in the midst of her treatment at the time, so she was selfishly relieved that Bill hadn’t been put in a position to choose between keeping her company at the hospital and a last-minute trip to Aquaria.

Kara flushed. “Thanks. Yeah, it’s all right.” She winked at Zak.

“You’re looking well, too, Laura.” Zak’s eyes raked over her critically; she wanted to laugh at his obvious concern for her health, but then she reminded herself of how sick she’d been when they first met, and that he wasn’t used to seeing her with full color, an unemaciated frame, and regrown auburn hair. “So the move went all right?

Laura gestured around. “Come see for yourself. And maybe we’ll find your father while we’re at it.” She turned and they followed her into the kitchen. “Can I get you something to drink?”

They both looked at each other, then away, and Kara actually blushed. “A glass of water would be great--I’ll get it.” She waved Laura’s efforts off and located the cabinet containing water glasses on her third attempt.

“I’d love a beer, Laura, if you guys have got it,” Zak said.

Just then, Bill entered the kitchen from the door to the backyard. “Hey hey!” He forgot to wipe his feet in his enthusiasm at seeing his son and daughter in law, causing Laura to shake her head. He gave Zak a big hug, and crossed over to Kara, giving her the same treatment. “Have you seen the house?”

Laura cut off Zak’s imminent reply. “We were about to take a tour. Where have you been?”

He grinned. “Planning out our garden, of course. Thought I might talk it over with Zak here, see if he’d be willing to help out with the digging and fencing and all that.”

Laura’s mild frustration faded instantly. “Thought you didn’t have much of a green thumb?” She wrapped her arms around his midsection and gave him a kiss.

The younger couple were both assiduously trying to avoid watching the affectionate display. Laura saw Kara reach for Zak’s hand and felt a wave of happiness crest inside her at her good fortune of ending up with this man, who had raised such a sweet son and gained a daughter-in-law so much like him that she could have been his own child. She smiled at that thought; she knew Bill would have doted on a daughter if he’d had one.

Laura withdrew her arms from around Bill and pulled open the fridge, locating a Virgon Brew for Zak and handing it to him. “You want one too, honey?” she asked Bill.

He wiped some sweat off his brow with the back of his hand and nodded. “Sure. Thanks.”

Thus fortified with beverages, the foursome made their way through the center-hall colonial, Bill and Laura proudly pointing out small improvements they’d made and fixtures they’d added. Kara oohed and aahed over the precise wainscoting and crown moldings, while Zak seemed impressed with the dimensions and layout of the house.

The library was the highlight of the first floor, the built-in shelves crowded with their combined book collection and overflowing into stacks on the floor behind the desk. Framed diplomas, commissions, and commendations adorned the walls, as well as an official photo of Bill and Laura at the decommissioning ceremony--taken right before they’d left the reception together, to their great amusement now.

“No surprise that the Secretary of Education has lots of books, I guess.” Kara looked around at the vast array.

Zak grinned and inclined his head toward his father. “This is what his quarters on Galactica looked like, too.”

“Not Secretary for too much longer, you know.” Laura crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. “Just about five months until Adar’s term ends and I’m out of a job.”

“Have you decided what you’re going to do next, Laura?” Zak asked.

She shook her head vaguely. “We’ll see, there are lots of opportunities to consider. But I’ll be glad to take a break from politics.”

“Laura’s been inundated with offers,” Bill bragged.

Laura rolled her eyes. “I’m just trying to finish up some of my main objectives for now, then focus on the transition.”

Kara, who hadn’t been very engaged in the conversation regarding Laura’s future employment prospects, crossed the room and plopped down in the window seat. “Seems a little bare over here. I’m surprised you haven’t put more books along this windowsill.”

“Hmm, we had the thought that maybe some art would look nice right there in front of the window.” Laura frowned and looked at Bill. “We really need to figure out something. Maybe go to some galleries in the city and see if we find a piece we like.”

Kara stood slowly and stepped back to look at the area from a distance. “I think you’re right, a large piece might work well for this space.” She glanced at her husband. “You know anyone who works in sculpture, Zak? Who’s been featured at the coffee shop?”

“Oh, besides you, you mean?” His playful grin evoked a sheepish smile from Kara as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Really? A Viper pilot and a sculptress?” Bill let out a long whistle, impressed. “You’re a woman of many talents, Kara Thrace.”

She shook her head, blushing. “Art’s just a hobby, I just play around at painting and some other media as well. Found objects, scrap metal, that kind of thing.”

“We knew you did some of the paintings at the coffee shop,” Laura mused, “good for you, Kara.” She gestured toward the door. “Shall we continue on?”

“I think we might start looking for a house of our own soon.” Zak looked over his shoulder to his father for approval as they trod up the steps, the younger couple leading the way. “Living over the coffee shop has been convenient, but we’re thinking some more space would be good.”

She and Bill exchanged pleased smiles with one another, remembering the way they’d outgrown their old places once they’d begun spending most nights together at one apartment or the other, usually hers. “More space is good,” agreed Laura. “Do you want to stay in Delphi? There are some great properties in the suburbs between Delphi and Caprica City that are good values, lots of space.”

Kara shook her head. “We’re not sure. Haven’t thought about it too much. The idea is...new.” She looked slightly disconcerted.

The kids laughed at Bill for devoting one of the four bedrooms upstairs entirely to Bill’s model ship building hobby before moving on to the two guest rooms and the master suite. Laura felt some trepidation at having Bill’s son in their shared bedroom, but luckily for her, Bill was fastidiously clean, so there was little to be concerned about. The interior tour thus complete, they took the stairs down from the balcony off the master bedroom to inspect the yard and putative garden.

“We were thinking a pergola covered in ivy here at the end of the patio.” Laura walked to the indicated area and spread her arms demonstratively. “It’ll provide some shade in the summer once it grows in.”

Kara’s head was tilted back, looking up at the very tall trees surrounding the backyard. “Nice old growth. I like this, Zak.”

Laura could have sworn Zak said something about a tree swing as he wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist, but forgot about it as Bill began pacing out the parameters of the “garden.” “Honey, don’t you think that’s a little...large?”

“It’s a tactical decision,” he explained. “Those Caprican squash can take over a garden if you’re not careful. This way”-- he gestured toward the short end of the rectangular plot closest to the property line--”keep it contained in one section, maybe its own raised bed.”

Laura walked to him and surveyed the space. “Okay, Mr. Green Thumb.” She looked at Kara and Zak. “Either of you any good at gardening?

Kara snickered. “Not too much plant life on a battlestar. If we ever have a garden, I’ll leave it to this one.”

“I guess we’ve got that in common, then,” Laura said, smiling at the younger woman.

“Zak and I will learn together.” Bill slung an arm over the shoulders of his son. “Right after he helps me dig up the ground and set up the beds.”

The helper in question groaned good-naturedly, and Laura took that as her cue to move things back inside. “I think dinner is just about ready to come out of the oven. Why don’t we all go in?”

 

As Laura plated the simple meal of roasted chicken and vegetables, Bill uncorked a bottle of wine.

“Dinner smells amazing,” Kara commented.

Laura smiled in thanks. “I think we’re ready. Zak, do you mind helping me with these plates?”

Directing Kara to carry a basket of rolls, Laura led the procession to the dining room, setting a plate at each perfectly-set place. Bill set the wine down on the table and pulled out a seat for her as Kara and Zak seated themselves next to one another.

Laura took in the scene, unable to school her happy expression. “This is the first time we’ve actually eaten in the dining room. I’m so glad you are both here to join us.” She patted Bill’s arm. “Honey, want to pour some wine?”

Kara and Zak exchanged glances, and she gave him an almost imperceptible nod. Zak drew a deep breath as Bill and Laura watched him expectantly.

“Dad, Laura...I’m going to be a father! Kara is having a baby.” Zak’s pleased smile lit up the whole room, the wattage increased by Bill’s matching one as soon as the words sank in.

Laura was thrilled for the couple, and for Bill. But she was more than a little concerned about Kara. She looked like the wanted to be happy, but wasn’t, or at least had conflicting feelings. “How far along are you?” Laura asked carefully.

Kara cleared her throat. “Almost four months.” Her tense features softened when Zak placed his hand atop hers and laced their fingers together.

“This is just great!” Bill got up from his seat to envelop both his son and daughter-in-law in a hug. “I’m so happy for you both!”

Laura smiled widely at the couple and poured wine for herself, Bill, and Zak, giving Kara a wink. “I think this calls for a toast, don’t you all?”

Bill reached for the glass Laura offered him, their fingers brushing as he accepted it. He raised the glass, and the others followed, Kara raising her water glass. “To our growing family!”

 

Later that night, long after dinner had been cleaned up, the kids had left, and they’d celebrated the return of their solitude by making love on the Gemenese rug in the library, Laura lay in bed with Bill, her head on his bare shoulder. “You ready to be a grandfather, honey?”

She could feel his smile against the top of her head. “You ready to be a grandmother?”

Laura propped herself up on her elbow so she could face him. “Me? I’ll just be grandpa’s girlfriend. Yes, I like that. ‘Girlfriend,’ it’s like the opposite of grandmother.”

A lazy grin crept across his face. “What if I don’t want you to be my girlfriend?”

She leaned forward to place sloppy kisses on his chest. “Well, seeing as we just bought this house together, and are ridiculously happy, I’ll assume you’re not suggesting that we break up. You just want a different title? One more befitting our age? Companion? Domestic partner?”

He pushed himself into a sitting position, and she followed his lead. Bill took her hands in his and looked at her intently, the intensity of his gaze causing her to shiver.

“Marry me, Laura.”

She giggled, taken aback at his proposition, and then cringed inwardly at her involuntary reaction. “What?” She tucked her feet underneath her and rocked back on her heels, plucking nervously at the hem of her silk negligee. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I’m serious. I love you. You’re my partner, my family. I want to be yours. Will you marry me, Laura Roslin?”

Laura nodded slowly, disbelieving. “I....Okay.” He reached out to caress her cheek, and she smiled into his touch. “Yes.”


	2. Breaking New Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Learning to enjoy the great outdoors.

“You’re what?” Zak gaped at Bill, nearly dropping the espresso that had been halfway between the table and his mouth when Bill announced the news.

“Getting hitched. Married. Laura and I.” Bill couldn’t wipe the smug grin from his face. “We’re thinking of having the ceremony and reception at our house in six months or so. Gives us a little motivation to get the yard finished.”

Zak groaned at the mention of the yard, subconsciously rubbing at the calluses that had developed on his palms over the past few weekends’ efforts, but reached out across the small circular table and grasped Bill’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you, Dad. Laura’s really good for you. I’m glad you found each other.”

Bill silently thanked the gods for the circumstances that had brought him together with Laura and allowed them to stay that way, then shuddered at the thought of how close he’d come to losing her. The love of his life, he could easily admit. “I never thought I would marry again, after the way things ended with your mother. But Laura is different.”

A snort indicated Zak’s concurrence. “That’s for sure.”

“I think Laura would have been content to remain as we are,” Bill continued, “domestic partners, you know?” He looked thoughtfully at Zak. “But something about hearing that you and Kara were expecting, thinking about family, and love, made me realize that I want her to be my wife. So I asked her.”

“Sounds pretty possessive, Dad.” Zak smirked. “Laura seems like the independent type to me. She’s never been married before, right?”

Bill shook his head. “No, she hasn’t. Why?”

Zak let out a low whistle. “Don’t blame you for wanting to lock that up, especially those legs. I’m just impressed you were able to.”

“Hey now.” Bill gave his son a warning glance. “You keep your eyes off my fiance’s legs, all right? And give your old man a little credit.”

Zak threw his hands up in surrender. “I’m a married man and father-to-be! What, you want me to promise to avert my eyes whenever Laura wears a skirt from now on?”

Bill glared silently and responded with a curt nod before bursting out laughing, Zak’s mischievous look inhibiting Bill’s ability to maintain the stony facade. “They are great legs, huh?”

“Not answering that one.” Zak calmly sipped his espresso.

Looking around the coffee shop--Joe’s Coffee Bar, Zak had named it--Bill decided a change of topic was in order. “You’ve got some nice pieces in here since my last visit.” A series of dark backgrounds contrasted with prominently featured bright concentric shapes, the wavy imprecision of the brushstrokes evocative of an indecisive anxiety.

Turning in his seat to look around, Zak agreed. “All Kara’s. She’s been painting a lot lately. She gets home from the academy, I make dinner while she paints, we eat, she paints some more. When they’re done I mat them and put them up in here.” He shrugged. “Seems therapeutic for her. I think she’s a little stressed about the baby.”

“Having a baby’s a big change,” Bill acknowledged. “But one of the best.” His brow furrowed as he searched for words. “Zak... I’m sorry... I wish...” He looked out the window, regrets washing over him in waves.

“That you’d been around more when Lee and I were kids?” Zak shrugged. “You were great, when you were around. We idolized you, you know. So yeah, it was tough that you were off-world so much when we were young. And of course Mom didn’t help matters, bashing you all the time to us.”

Bill reached out to rest his hand on Zak’s forearm. “I just want you to know, it was a mistake to be gone as much as I was. I didn’t do everything I could to stay in touch.”

Zak smiled sympathetically at his father. “Dad, it’s all right. For one, I learned from your experience.” He gestured grandly around the bustling coffee shop. “I’m staying right here. Great place for a kid to hang out, don’t you think?” He grinned. “And Kara’s got a good gig at the flight academy, shouldn’t have to go off-world unless we go to war or something.”

“I’m glad.” Bill smiled at his son. “You have it all figured out, smart guy.” A shadow crossed his craggy features. “Wish I could say the same of your brother.”

“Last I heard, he’s thinking about mustering out and going to law school.” Zak rolled his eyes. “I don’t hear from him much. I think he talks to Kara once in a while but that’s all she’s mentioned to me.” He regarded his father thoughtfully. “You’ve mellowed out a lot since your retirement. I don’t know if it’s because you’re retired, or that you’re head over heels in love, or what, but I’m glad I’ve gotten to spend so much time with you now, as an adult. Lee is missing out on seeing this side of you.”

“Maybe I’ll try to call him soon.” Bill checked his watch; it was almost time for him to leave in order to meet Laura for lunch in downtown Caprica City. “Thanks for the coffee, son. I should head out.” Both men rose from the table, and Zak walked with Bill to the door.

“I’m really happy about you and Laura, Dad. Thanks for coming down to tell me in person.”

Bill embraced his younger son. “Tell Kara I said hello and let’s have you both over for dinner again soon, hey? Or maybe we’ll come down here and take you both out.”

His son nodded, smiling. “We’d like that. Whatever works best for Laura’s schedule.”

With a wave, Bill took his leave to go meet his fiance.

 

* * *

Laura’s cell phone rang on the vanity, eliciting an exasperated sigh from its owner, who was struggling to remove an earring in her attempt to transform from the perfectly put-together Secretary to casual Laura for the evening. It had been an exhausting day, negotiating academic freedom policies with university administrators in the morning and then participating in a school lunch nutrition panel with the Secretary of Agriculture and their respective staffs in the afternoon, and she would be pissed if someone was about to intrude on the quiet Friday evening at home she had planned with Bill. Finally tugging the post free from the backing, she snatched up the phone and held it to the now-unadorned ear. “Roslin.”

Laura strained to hear the mumbled greeting on the other end.

“Kara? Slow down, I can’t understand you. What’s going on?”

_”I think I’m having contractions and I’m only at six months and I can’t get in touch with Zak!”_

“Oh, dear. Where are you right now?”

 _”At home. I wasn’t feeling well at work this afternoon but I just thought it was regular pregnancy tiredness...”_ Kara’s voice broke, and Laura’s heart went out to her.

Laura thought back to the last time they’d seen Zak and Kara; about two weeks ago, for dinner. Kara had been drawn and tired, with dark circles under her eyes, and the younger couple had left the restaurant early after Kara had only pushed food around on her plate. Laura hadn’t thought much of it then, had just made some semi-snarky comment that it was a good thing one didn’t need to be pregnant in order to have an excuse to order dessert as she dug into her creme brulee, but now she wondered if she should have been paying closer attention.

“Kara, I think Zak is out with Bill, running some errands here in C-City, okay? Can you call for an ambulance to take you to the hospital, or do you want me to?”

_”I can call...I want Zak!”_

Laura sighed. “I know, sweetie. We’ll get him for you, I promise. Look, which hospital do you go to?”

 _”Ilithyia Women’s.”_ Kara sniffled.

“I will leave right now and meet you there. I would offer to pick you up but I don’t want you to wait for me, you need to call for help right now, all right?” Laura’s schoolteacher tone brooked no argument.

_”Yes. Thanks, Laura.”_

“I’ll get in touch with Bill and Zak and have them meet us there, too. See you soon, Kara.” Laura reluctantly disconnected the call, hoping Kara would follow through on her promise to call the rescue squad.

Sighing, she removed her other earring and splashed some water on her face. Patting her face dry, she moved to the walk-in closet, efficiently stripping off her suit, tights, and silk blouse in favor of a pair of jeans and a red cashmere sweater. She slipped into tan driving loafers and grabbed her purse, distractedly running her fingers through her hair as she hurried to her car.

Pulling out of the driveway and heading toward the expressway, she commanded her phone to ‘call Bill’ and the phone obediently connected her. She pressed a few buttons to set it on speaker.

Finally he answered. _“Hi, honey.”_

“Bill.” Her tone was urgent. “Is Zak still with you?”

_”Yes, why? We are just finishing up picking out some lumber.”_

“Kara is headed to the hospital with contractions. I’m on my way there now. You both need to stop what you’re doing and go to Ilithyia Women’s in Delphi.”

 _”Damn. Okay.”_ She could hear Bill relaying the message to Zak in the background. _”Zak says he forgot his phone at the coffee shop and to let her know he’s on his way.”_

“Will do. I’ll see you soon.” Laura disconnected the call and focused on the road.

 

Forty minutes later, Laura was sitting in the waiting room when Bill and Zak burst in. “Where is she? How’s Kara?” Anxiety was written all over Zak’s stricken face.

Laura stood and walked over to them, slipping her arm around Bill and leaning against his comforting bulk. She directed her gaze to Zak. “She’s stable, being seen by the doctor right now. That’s all I know. I’ve only been here for ten minutes myself.”

Zak relaxed slightly. “Thank you for coming, Laura. I’m so glad she called you.”

She gave him a quick hug and pushed his hair off his forehead. “We’re family, right? I’m happy you’re here now, though.” She stepped back and sighed heavily, thinking back to the younger woman’s uncharacteristic panic and pleading for her husband.

Just as they had settled into a row of three plastic chairs bookended by piles of well-worn magazines, a woman in a white coat came through the swinging double doors, calling, “Mr. Adama?”

She felt Bill react to the inquiry, but placed her hand on his thigh to restrain him as Zak went to the doctor. “That’s me.”

“Wait a second,” Laura whispered to Bill. Zak looked back at them and waved for them to join him, and Bill gave her a look that said _I told you so_.

The doctor was already speaking when they joined Zak. “The baby is fine, that’s the important thing,” she was saying. “These type of false contractions are actually quite normal. It’s the body’s way of preparing for the real thing, though it is often mistaken for actual labor. She is not dilated at all, and the baby’s heart rate is normal, indicating that the baby is not under stress.”

Bill squeezed Zak’s shoulder. “That’s good.” Laura let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

The doctor continued. “I am a bit worried about Ms. Thrace, though. She’s slightly underweight for this point in her pregnancy, and seems more fatigued than is to be expected. She doesn’t need to be on bed rest-- the contractions will actually be less noticeable if she engages in moderate to light activity, like walking or swimming-- but to the extent her mental state can be improved, it’s worth exploring.”

Zak looked confused. “What does that mean?”

“Therapy, a counselor. Prayer, if that is her way. Perhaps a parenting class,” the doctor explained. “Her anxiety could be a problem for the baby if it persists.”

“But...Kara is happy, I thought.” Zak pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes downcast. “I know she’s not sleeping well, I just thought it was normal ‘cause she’s uncomfortable, or something.”

The doctor reviewed the chart she held. “I see here that she is still working full time and expects to do so until two weeks before her due date? That plan may need to be revisited. I would recommend that she go part-time or, ideally, stop working entirely for the duration of the pregnancy.”

“She’s not gonna be happy about that,” Zak said ruefully, “but I’ll talk to her about it. Can I see her now?”

The doctor nodded. “Sure, she’s just resting. Room 114. I’m heading that way now, actually.”

Zak turned and went with the doctor, looking back at them appreciatively before disappearing behind the wide white doors. Laura and Bill slowly walked back to the waiting area. Bill sat first and pulled Laura onto his lap. Suddenly exhausted, Laura let her head fall into the crook of his neck.

“Close call, grandma,” he said, stroking her back lightly. “Thank you for being there for Kara.”

“Really, Bill,” she murmured against the skin under his ear, “what did you and Zak think I would do, just try to pass this problem off to him? Call the rescue squad and consider it done?”

He shifted so he could look at her. “Not at all.” He kissed her forehead. “We’re both just grateful, and feel bad that we were unavailable to her when she first started having problems today. And so we’re glad that she called you.”

Mollified, Laura nestled back against him. “Okay.” She let out a long sigh and began to toy with the placket of his button-down. “How did it go today at the lumber yard, anyway?”

His smooth baritone calmed her; though her plans for a relaxing evening at home may have been dashed, she was finding that a deserted waiting room wasn’t such a terrible consolation, especially in light of the doctor’s good news. “We found some really great Virgonese hardwood for the pergola and some cheaper stuff, Scorpian timbers, for building the garden beds. It’ll be delivered to the house on Monday. Zak and I used spray paint to outline the beds this morning and hit the gardening store for seeds and some tools and equipment in the afternoon.” He squeezed her tight and shifted her weight over his lap. “How was your day, love?”

She groaned quietly. “Long. The transition with the Gray administration is eating up so much of my time on top of my other commitments.” Looking up at him, she kissed the tip of his nose. “But we’ll get through this tonight. It doesn’t sound like the doctor wants to keep Kara overnight, so why don’t we send the kids home in your car and we’ll take mine, since Kara got here by ambulance?” She considered for a moment. “Or we can ask them if they want to come home to our house tonight, since I’m guessing Zak’s car is there.”

Bill yawned. “Both good options. We’ll ask what they want to do.” He stroked her arm absently. “You’re wonderful, do you know that?”

She smiled. “Just trying to be a good grandma.”

Zak came back into the waiting area, clearing his throat to get their attention. “Uh-uhm.”

Bill and Laura looked up guiltily, Laura sliding off Bill’s lap and over into her own seat. “How is she?” Laura asked.

“You’ll see for yourself, she’s okay but a bit of a mess emotionally. She’d like to say hi to you both, though.”

Bill helped Laura up and placed a hand at the small of her back as they followed Zak back to the room. Once they entered, Zak sat in the room’s only chair while Bill and Laura took up station at opposite sides of the bed.

Kara looked pasty and wan in her gray hospital gown under the harsh glare of the fluorescent hospital lights--the opposite of how a six-months-pregnant woman should look, Laura thought. “Hey, Madam Secretary. Commander.”

“How are you feeling?” Laura took Kara’s hand.

“Like a frakking idiot,” Kara croaked. Laura held up a glass of water for her to sip through a straw as Bill looked on in concern. Once Kara had sipped sufficiently, he leaned down to kiss his daughter-in-law on the cheek. “Whaddya year, Starbuck?”

“Nothing but the rain, sir.” Kara gave him a weak smile.

Laura turned a discerning gaze to the younger woman. “What’s going on, Kara? We didn’t know you weren’t sleeping or eating well.”

Kara shook her head, not meeting their eyes. “It’s nothing.”

As Kara flexed her hands nervously at her sides, Laura noticed for the first time the strange angles her fingers formed, and worried her bottom lip at the realization that followed.

“The doctor said you can go home now, Kara,” Zak said tentatively. He rose and spoke from beside Bill, concern evident on his face. “Dad offered to lend us his car to get home tonight, then we’ll meet up again tomorrow or Sunday to swap back. Sound good?”

Kara nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that. I’m thinking a warm bath might be the perfect place to think over what I’m going to tell the Admiralty about suddenly needing the next couple of months’ leave from the academy.”

“You’re gonna go on leave? Take it easy until the baby’s born?” Zak beamed, obviously relieved. “I thought for sure you’d want to keep working at least part-time.”

She shook her head slowly. “Nope, doc said it’d be best to stop working, and I think I’ve got some things to figure out before this baby shows up.” She forced a smile.

Bill walked around the bed to join Laura. “Good girl. Take care of yourself and that baby for us, all right?”

“We’ll leave you two to get yourselves home, but we’ll call you tomorrow morning,” Laura added. She hugged Kara goodbye. “I’m glad you called me earlier,” she whispered in Kara’s ear. “We’re here for you.”

Bill squeezed Kara’s hand in farewell. “Bye, Starbuck.” He nodded at Zak. “Talk to you soon.”

As Bill and Laura left the hospital, arms linked as they walked to Laura’s car, Bill sighed. “She doesn’t look right, does she?”

Laura hummed. “I feel bad for not noticing it earlier.”

They reached the car and Bill pulled the passenger door open for Laura, who sank down gratefully. Once Bill was seated behind the steering wheel, he started the ignition and turned back to her. “Yeah, Zak felt it came a little out of left field, feels like a jerk for thinking everything was fine.” Bill shrugged. “I told him that when you live with a person or see them every day, it can be hard to notice the subtle changes.” He leaned in toward her and pushed Laura’s hair behind her shoulder. “Especially when you are so in love with a person that you become blind to the circles under their eyes, or the paleness of their skin, because every time you look at them it’s like you’re looking at the most beautiful person on the planet.”

The epic proportions of his statement amused Laura, but she tried hard not to laugh. “Most beautiful on the planet, huh?” she teased him. “What about the rest of the Colonies?” Kissing his neck and biting his earlobe, she amended, “No, no, don’t answer that. Just take me home and put me to bed...Commander.”

* * *

Laura stood in the kitchen, absently stirring a pitcher of lemonade as she watched Bill working in the garden through the window over the sink. The early evening twilight made his skin look even darker than usual, set off by the white undershirt he wore as he labored. The garden was coming along, neat rows of green sprouts popping up through the soil that Bill carefully avoided as he loosened the dirt around them to remove unwanted weeds.

She smiled at the thought of joining him in the maintenance of a verdant and bountiful backyard oasis. Just two months remained of her tenure as Secretary of Education, after which she intended to enjoy a quasi-retirement, at least for a while, of consulting and liaising between educational institutions and the incoming administration. Working from home would allow her to spend more time with her soon-to-be husband. And besides, she had a wedding to plan. Shaking her head in wonder at finding herself a blushing bride on the verge of fifty, she poured two glasses of the tart concoction and kicked off her pumps before stepping outside to make an offering to her betrothed.

“We need some more growth out here, I don’t want to get married in the midst of a dirt field.” Laura’s light tone contradicted her critical words.

“Tell it to the peppers and arugula.” He accepted the tall tumbler gratefully and took a long sip, decimating half its contents. “You’re good at getting people to follow your orders, why not plants?”

“Hmm.” Perching on the edge of a raised bed and taking care not to sully her skirt suit, she patted the dirt surrounding an optimistic scaffolding intended to support nascent tomato plants. “Grow faster.”

“You can do better than that.” Bill wagged his finger at her playfully. “Give it to ‘em good.”

Laura assumed a more authoritative tone. “Get your lazy asses out of the ground and grow already.” She held her hand out to Bill and, when he took it, pulled him down next to her as she curled her toes into the lush grass. “This is silly.”

He shrugged. “Hey, it was worth a shot.”

“Speaking of growing, how are Kara and Zak doing?”

Bill patted her bare knee, little specks of dirt from his hands disappearing against the background of her lightly freckled skin. “They’re happy. Kara’s getting big, complaining about not being able to tie her shoes. I kept her company this morning for a couple of hours while Zak was working in the shop. They’re coming by here day after tomorrow to help me do some things around the house.”

“Is she frustrated to not be working?”

Shaking his head in the negative, he said, “I think she misses it, but she knows she’ll go back in a couple of months, and in the meantime she’s keeping busy enough. She had some big project she was working on that she wouldn’t let me see. So I set up the crib while she was doing...whatever it was she was doing.”

Laura giggled. “You? Set up a crib?”

He smiled at her incredulous expression. “Yeah. I did. It’s really just like model-building, writ slightly larger, you know.” He took another sip of lemonade and exhaled loudly in satisfaction. “The nursery’s coming along--Kara’s actually painted it already--and I think they’ve tabled the idea of moving until a couple of months after the baby arrives.”

“That’s probably for the best. I don’t imagine babies take up too much space, and finding a house and moving would just cause stress that neither of them needs right now.” She brightened. “Plus, I’ll be ‘retired’ by then. It would be fun to help them find a place.”

Bill draped an arm over her shoulders. “Not until after the wedding, please.”

Laura snorted. “Oh, don’t worry. As soon as my successor is sworn in, I will be in full party-planning mode until you and I exchange vows right here.”

“Good.” He tilted her chin up with his fingers and kissed her deeply. He tasted of tart lemon and hard work and insatiable lust.

“It is good,” she sighed in affirmation once they broke for breath. Trailing her finger down his sweaty chest and wrinkling her nose at the salt and dirt that accumulated, her eyes gleamed with anticipation. “Let’s go get you cleaned up before dinner. I’ll even scrub your back for you.”

He shook his head. “You, Madam Secretary, need to cultivate your appreciation for the great outdoors.”

“Then shower, huh?”

“That’s right.” He pulled her into his lap, shifting her skirt up her hips so it rode up, exposing more of her soft flesh.

“This seems ill-advised, Bill,” Laura said, even as she shrugged out of her dove-grey suit jacket and tossed it onto the lawn, now darkened by the house’s creeping shadow as the sun approached the horizon.

Bill began unfastening the buttons of her blouse, sure fingers making short work of the task. “We put a premium on privacy for a reason when we decided to buy this place, remember?”

“I do.”

“Well, then...”

Laura stood, unzipping her skirt and sliding it off, tossing it toward its companion jacket. “As long as my clothes don’t get grass-stained, I’ll be your acolyte of the outdoors.” Now wearing only her underwear and a blouse fully unbuttoned down the front, she gingerly lowered herself to the ground and was pleased to find the lawn soft and springy. She stretched her legs out in front of her. “Get down here, Bill.”

As he hovered over her with a predatory look in his eyes, she tugged him closer so she could whisper in his ear. “I’ve never done this in a yard before, you know.”

His eyes locked with hers as they both silently recalled a similar confession on Bill’s part during their first encounter in his quarters aboard the now-decommissioned battlestar. “Well, good. I believe I owed you a first of some sort, since you were so good as to indulge me.”

“Oh, I was _more_ than happy to indulge you, as you’ll recall, Commander,” she assured him as she worked to unbutton the fly of his shorts. She pushed his shorts down over his hips and he shrugged out of them, adding them to the growing pile of garments. Reaching beneath his boxers, she was unsurprised to find him already hard.

She wrapped a leg around his waist and drew him down against her as she stroked his cock with a firm grip. “Is this for me?” she asked with a possessive twist of her wrist. He answered by pushing her shirt aside and lowering his mouth to her lace-clad breasts, drawing her nipples through the fabric until he grew frustrated, even as she squirmed under his ministrations, and he pushed her bra cups down to reveal the rosy buds.

“Oh gods, yes,” Laura sighed contentedly as Bill nipped at the sensitive skin. She pushed his boxers down so she could roll her hips against his and appreciate the full effect of his arousal. He did the same for her, pushing her panties out of the way and off her legs so that the soft skin of his cock could finally brush against her damp curls.

She wrapped her leg around him again and used the leverage to roll them both onto their sides, facing each other, and placed his cock between her legs against the apex of her thighs, moving against him purposefully. One hand found her ass, clasping her closer against him, and the other reached up to cup her face, pushing her hair back as he kissed her neck and whispered in her ear.

“Starting to see the benefits of the great outdoors, Laura?”

Her only reply was a whimper as she moved faster against him.

“The lawn...feels...amazing,” she finally panted, smirking.

“Oh the _lawn_ does, huh?” He pushed her onto her back and sheathed himself inside her slowly, savoring the feel of her body accommodating his own. Once he was fully seated, she started moving against him again, which he took as his cue to thrust. He braced himself over her and looked into her eyes, sure he would never tire of this playful and adventurous woman and finding himself once more thanking the gods for bringing her to him and letting him keep her.

Laura, meanwhile, had wrapped her legs around him once more, enjoying the deep angle of penetration it allowed. “Love you,” she breathed before he covered her mouth with his own.

He sucked on her bottom lip and pounded into her hard, burying himself over and over as they breathed in the same air in alternate turns. Only when he could feel her beginning to tense around him did he break the kiss, enough for them to both inhale deep draughts of intoxicating fresh air and for him to reorient himself enough to slide his hand down between their bodies.

Laura’s head rolled back further into the grass as his thumb circled then pressed down on her clit, exposing the long column of her neck for him to place tender kisses against as she shuddered around him.

Bill only lasted a few more strokes before he followed his lover over the edge and collapsed on top of her.

She ran her hands in soothing motions along the back of his sweaty tanks as they both regained their equilibrium; being on the ground, amid the moving shadows of the large swaying trees surrounding them, seemed surreal in these precious postcoital moments.

“You’re going to have to check _me_ for grass stains,” came a wry voice from beneath Bill.

He pushed himself up slightly, enough to drop light kisses to her brow and temple. “Shower, remember? And I’m more worried about what damage we might have done to the lawn.”

Laura pushed him off her and rolled off the spot, propping her head up on her elbow and examining the depression critically. “It’ll pop back up...right?”

“Please tell me you mean the grass.”

She patted his thigh reassuringly. “Of course.”

He groaned and sat up, reaching for their clothes and tossing Laura’s suit and panties to her.

“You know, Bill,” she started, grinning, “I think this spot might be the perfect place to have the ceremony.”


	3. Inaugural Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A ball, a former flame, and a new addition to the family.

Bill held the car door open for Laura, waiting patiently as she arranged the skirt with the thigh-high slit in a way that wouldn’t scandalize the press corps assembled at the entrance to the Inaugural Ball. She gracefully alighted the vehicle and smiled at her fiance as Bill handed the keys to the valet.

They made a striking pair, the broad-shouldered retired Commander in his spiffy dress grays and the outgoing Secretary of Education in a slinky red jersey gown that accentuated her lithe figure. Laura accepted Bill’s proffered arm and allowed herself a moment to get lost in his eyes before taking a deep breath and turning with him to walk through the gauntlet of photographers and reporters documenting this moment in Colonial history.

When Wallace Gray had taken the oath of office earlier that morning and in turn sworn in his new Cabinet, Laura had felt a mixture of satisfaction at the things she’d achieved during her tenure, sadness at the prospect of no longer being involved in government at such a high level, and relief that she would never again have to deal with Richard Adar in any capacity. Now she just had to get through this last official function before returning to private life. She squeezed Bill’s arm tightly in gratitude for his steady and calming presence, thinking with mild horror what this event would have been like but for him; a pity date of some sort, set up by Richard, who would undoubtedly manage to whisk her away to some dark corner and grope her before demanding that she ditch said pity date and meet him at his convenience.

The ballroom was beautiful, ornate chandeliers casting a golden glow over the crowd as the band played classic Caprican jazz. Bill snagged two glasses of champagne from a passing tray and handed one to Laura. “To my favorite former Secretary,” he toasted her with a grin.

“To my favorite retired Commander,” she countered. “You going to wear the dress grays for our wedding?”

“If you want,” he said agreeably, eyes sparkling. “I thought it might be too formal for our casual backyard affair.”

She shook her head. “No. It’ll be perfect no matter what you’re wearing, but I like you in these too much. Reminds me of our first time together. You were wearing this.” Her eyes flashed as she ran her hand along the front seam of his jacket. “Only one fastener...so easy to take off.”

He interrupted her hand’s playful journey across his chest and held their joined hands firmly against her hip. “Would you like to dance?”

She drained the rest of her champagne and set the flute on a table. “Lead the way.”

As Bill twirled her in his arms, Laura felt lighter than she had in years. They fit together so perfectly, she mused when he drew her close to him and held her like some cherished treasure, his big hands splaying across the small of her back and the nape of her neck. They danced together through several swingy numbers, grinning at one another like fools and totally oblivious to the crowd surrounding them, before the music came to a stop and the arrival of the new President was announced.

The familiar tones of the Colonial anthem rang out, and they stood respectfully as the tall man with a distinctive widow’s peak made his way through the room and waved at the throngs of people. Laura’s mind wandered to thoughts of the last inauguration, when she’d been part of the victorious incoming team and had felt so sorry for the staid members of the outgoing administration. She was happy to realize she had little to feel sorry for herself about now. She’d beaten cancer, bought a house with the love of her life, had people around who loved and cared about her, and whom she loved and cared about in return--all things she never would have thought possible for herself when she had joined Adar’s campaign or even that fateful day of _Galactica_ ’s decommissioning.

Once the band started back up with the music, yet another fast-paced tune, Laura tugged Bill off the dance floor and toward the bar in the back. “Would you mind getting me something to drink, honey?” she asked him. “I just need to sit for a moment.”

“Sure thing,” he said as he pulled out a chair at an empty round table for her. “Be right back.” He kissed the top of her head before heading off with purpose.

Laura trailed her fingers over her lips, contemplating whether she should freshen up in the ladies’ or could get away without an additional application of lipstick, when she felt a cool hand stroke across her bare shoulder. “Aren’t you looking delectable,” an unpleasantly familiar voice whispered in her ear. She shivered. “You have no idea how much I want to know which panties you have on right now. Black lace? The red satin with the little bows? Or maybe none at all?”

She spun around angrily. “Get lost, Richard.” Noticing that his standing position was giving him a pretty good view down the deep V of her halter-style dress, she rose from her seat and crossed her arms over her chest, her high heels putting her right at eye level with him as she delivered a withering glare.

“I haven’t gotten an invitation to your _wedding_ , Laura,” he snarled. “No love lost for your old boss, I suppose? Sending you to that decommissioning was my idea, if you’ll recall.”

“Yes, best decision you ever made as President,” Laura said sarcastically. “And the best decision I ever made as Secretary was to stop being involved with you.” She leaned in so Richard could hear her as she seethed in low tones. “My impending nuptials are absolutely none of your business, Richard. You and I are done-- as colleagues and long since as anything else. Now I will wish you well in your future endeavors, and I will politely ask that you get. The frak. Away from me.”

He raised an eyebrow. “No goodbye kiss? From one colleague to another as we celebrate the end of an era?”

Laura wanted to smack him, but realized she would be better served by not commemorating her last day as a member of the President’s cabinet with an act of public violence. Just as she had mentally settled on jabbing her finger into his chest to pointedly push him away, Bill stepped up to them. “Is there a problem?” he asked mildly.

Laura withdrew her hand from the vicinity of Adar’s chest and reached out to Bill with it instead. “Honey, I was just asking Dick here to leave.”

Bill possessively placed his arm around Laura and pulled her toward him to plant a demonstrative kiss on her temple. “And yet he’s still here.” He gave the bald man the simultaneously stern and dismissive look he’d used for years to make rooks shake in their boots, as he ran his free hand through his own thick locks.

“Commander, I don’t believe we’ve met--”

“I know who you are.” Bill stated the obvious, his curt tone also implying that he realized full well that Adar hadn’t discerned his title from the insignia he wore. He looked Adar up and down, and clearly deciding that he didn’t view Laura’s former lover as a threat, asked her: “Ready for another dance, sweetheart?”

She nodded. “It’s so nice to finally be with someone with such _stamina_ ,” she gloated to Adar, patting Bill’s bicep appreciatively. She narrowed her eyes and leaned in toward Adar again so that only he could hear her next words. “And who actually wants to be seen with me in public. I cannot believe I wasted years of my life on you and your tiny penis. Frak off, you impotent asshole.” With that final pronouncement, she turned on her heel and took Bill’s arm as she stalked off on quivering legs coursing with adrenaline toward the dance floor.

It wasn’t until Bill had wrapped his arms around her and was stroking her back in soothing circles as she told him about the encounter that she realized she’d sent Bill off for drinks-- _dumb, Laura_ , she scolded herself, as in retrospect it was obvious that Richard must have been watching her and waiting to pounce--and yet he’d returned empty-handed.

He preempted her question just as she was forming it. “I got a phone call while I was at the bar.”

She snuggled her face into the crook of his neck and breathed deeply. “Yeah? Anything important?”

“I would say so, yes.” He gave her a squeeze. “I know it’s a big night, but we ought to leave. It was Zak. Kara’s in labor.”

"Well, what are we still doing here?"

"This," he said as he twirled her towards the former President, his hands sliding over her ass before he dipped her deeply, his lips traveling up her neck and settling in a deep taste of her mouth.

When he stood her back up, she gasped. "Oh!"

Bill led her off the floor past a gaping Richard Adar, pausing briefly to answer the question he'd posed to Laura. “By the way...pink lace with a black garter belt, Dick. My very favorite, and a set I don’t believe you’d be familiar with. There’s a matching merry widow, too." He smirked. "Have a good night.”

As they made their way to the exit, he gave Laura a satisfied smile. “Shall we go meet our grandbaby?"

"By all means.” She stopped them in their tracks and gripped his arms excitedly as she practically jumped up and down. “We’re going to have a baby!”

 

 

They arrived at the hospital less than an hour later, still in their evening attire and having heard no additional news from Zak. They made their way to the reception area and were informed that Zak was with Kara and the doctor, and they were welcome to have a seat.

Bill looked sidelong at Laura. “Not likely,” he muttered, anxiously pacing throughout the waiting area.

Laura drew her wrap closer around her, feeling out of place in her evening gown among the nurses in blue scrubs and white-coated doctors. “Bill, calm down. I’m sure everything is fine.”

He slowed and took her arm in his, wordlessly offering her a stroll down the corridor. “I never went through this with my boys, you know,” he confessed. “I was off-world both times, got back a couple hours after each birth. I don’t think Carolanne ever forgave me.”

“What could you have done, Bill? If you had orders, you had no choice.” She grasped his forearm in empathy. “At least Zak is able to be here for Kara. Yet another silver lining to his failing Basic Flight.”

Bill chuckled. “No doubt about it, the boy is better off for not being in the Fleet.” He stopped and looked at her seriously. “But I am, too. It was a fine career, but I’ve never been happier than I am right now. With you, with my son and his family nearby. I never thought I would have so much to be so grateful for at this stage in my life.” He shook his head. “Listen to me. Just a maudlin old man.”

Laura shook her head, smiling, though her eyes, like his, shone with tears. “No, Bill.” She kissed him softly. “It’s okay to be happy. And to acknowledge it.” She caught a glimpse of Zak over Bill’s shoulder; he was approaching them quickly with a huge grin on his face and a box of cigars in his hand. “I think we’re about to find a reason to be even happier.” She gently turned him to face his son.

“It’s a girl!” Zak practically yelled down the hall, quickening his pace to reach his father. He reached Bill and enveloped him in a bear hug before turning to Laura and doing the same. “We named her Ariadne.”

“Congratulations, son,” Bill told him, his eyes tearing up again. Laura kissed Zak’s cheek and squeezed his hand. “We’re so happy for you.”

“Six pounds, seven ounces,” Zak announced proudly. “She’s got dark hair and blue eyes and is the prettiest little thing I’ve ever seen.”

“How is Kara holding up?” Laura inquired.

A passing nurse shot the trio a dirty look and Laura hooked her arms through both Adamas’, leading them to the waiting room proper. “Well?”

Zak beamed. “She was a champ. We were just at home today, working on some things around the house, when her water broke. She stayed pretty calm, we got down here quickly, and the whole thing took something like six hours.”

“Six hours ago? Why didn’t you call us sooner? And have you called your mother yet?” Bill looked distressed.

“Come on, Dad. Everyone in the Colonies knew the Inaugural Ball was tonight, there was no point in you and Laura coming down and waiting at the hospital all evening until the baby was actually born. And yes, I called Mom. She and the new guy are living on Picon now, I thought you knew that. They’ll visit in a few weeks.”

Laura protested Zak’s assumption about the relative importance of the Inaugural Ball. “Oh, Zak. We absolutely would have come down here to wait with you.” She shrugged. “But it’s done with now. Can we see the baby?”

“Yeah, I think they took her into the nursery while Kara rests for a bit.” He motioned for them to follow him, taking off at a fast clip Laura struggled to match in her strappy high-heeled sandals. Gritting her teeth, she hitched up the hem of her gown from the floor and tried her best to keep up with the exuberant young father.

They came to a wide glass window display of rows of bassinets. Zak counted down and found a pink-blanketed bundle resting peacefully in a bassinet labeled “Adama-Thrace, A.” Zak placed his hand on the glass longingly. “That’s my baby girl.”

“She’s beautiful,” breathed Laura. “Just perfect.”

The little girl had round cheeks and a smushed-looking tiny nose with nostrils that flared as she drew minute breaths. A knit cap covered her head, but Laura could see tendrils of dark hair around the hat’s edges. She yawned delightfully and stretched her little baby arm out to her side before falling still once more.

Bill clapped his son on the back. “Well done, Zak.” He shook his head, clearly fazed by the enormity of the moment.

“I’m gonna go see if Kara’s awake and ready for visitors, do you mind waiting here just a minute?”

Bill and Laura looked at each other and laughed at the absurdity of the question; of course they would gladly stand here and admire their grandbaby, they silently agreed. “Go ahead, Zak. We’ll keep an eye on your girl for you,” Laura offered.

Zak nodded, adorably awkward as he practically tripped over his own feet trying to tear himself away from the window to go check on his wife.

Wrapping his arm around Laura as they gazed at the newest member of their family, Bill rested his head atop hers. “I think we’ve got a last-minute addition to our guest list. Ariadne.”

“Ariadne,” Laura repeated, drawing out the syllables. “Our inaugural baby. ”

 

 

After Zak returned to fetch them, they visited with Kara for a few moments, congratulating the dazed new mother who, it seemed, could barely believe the reason she was drugged up in a hospital bed. More than once she lifted the sheet away from her body and stared at her midsection, doubtful at its suddenly shrunken circumference. Her blonde hair was stringy and her face puffy, but from the way Zak gazed at her in complete adoration, one would never know this wasn’t the best she had ever looked.

A nurse brought Ariadne into the room, and as they spoke in hushed tones so as not to disturb her tender infant sensibilities, they gathered around Kara’s hospital bed so the nurse could capture a first family snapshot of the five of them with Zak’s camera.

Bill and Laura each exercised their grandparent’s right in taking a turn holding the child, cooing at her and marveling at the perfection of her fingers, toes, tiny rosebud mouth. In her third hour of life, Ariadne struck Bill as more placid than he would have expected in a product of his frenetic and frequently over-caffeinated son and his usually rambunctious daughter-in-law. “We’ll see how long that lasts,” he whispered to the baby.

 

 

Two weeks later, Laura was just finishing setting up the crib in the guest bedroom next to the master suite in anticipation of Ariadne’s first visit to their house. She had never imagined, after a certain point in her life, that she would ever have reason to spend a Saturday afternoon shopping at Caprican Baby for infant furniture, but had found the experience oddly exciting as she and Bill selected a crib and the appropriate other baby gear to have on hand befitting their first grandchild.

Zak had called them up a week ago, catching them as they lazed in bed with the newspaper, to let them know that everything was going well, Kara was bonding with the baby beautifully despite her fears, but he and Kara didn’t understand how they were functioning without stims at this point. “I don’t think either of us has slept more than two hours straight for the past week. How do people get through this?”

“They bring the baby to her grandparents,” Bill explained easily as Laura nodded at him in encouragement. “Why don’t the three of you come here next weekend and spend a night or two? We’ll take care of the baby and let you and Kara get at least six hours of uninterrupted sleep.”

Bill’s brow furrowed as Zak responded. “No, no, don’t worry about that. We’ll go out and get a crib and all the rest. Good. Give my love to your girls.” Disconnecting the call, he’d gathered Laura close. “Fancy spending today shopping for baby stuff with me?” The idea, which might have once sent her screaming in horror, was now completely inoffensive, and Laura had just snuggled closer into his chest and smiled against his skin. “Mmm-hmm.”

Laura picked up the framed photo taken at the hospital and grinned back at the wide smiles it featured. The sound of the doorbell interrupted her thoughts, and she bounded downstairs to greet her charge.

Bill had beat her to the door and Zak and Kara, laden with the baby carrier and a large diaper bag respectively, stepped over the threshold with the weary hesitancy of the very sleep-deprived. Kara wore an oversized Fleet-issue sweatsuit, while Zak’s dark t-shirt was adorned with random white stains across the chest and shoulders.

"Hey Dad, Laura," Zak greeted them quietly. "She fell asleep as soon as we left the house. I think it was the car ride--it calmed her, or something." He tilted his head toward Kara. “This one fell asleep, too.”

“Best nap I’ve had all week,” Kara admitted, rubbing her dark-circled eyes.

Laura gave the new parents a quick hug hello and took the baby from Zak, lifting her out of her carrier with a minimum of jostling. “Hello, baby,” she crooned, carefully supporting the infant’s head in the crook of her arm. At the gentle greeting, Ariadne’s eyes cracked open; she shared the same blue as her father and grandfather, Laura was pleased to recognize. The baby yawned and emitted an adorable squeak, but seemed content in Laura’s arms.

Bill had gone out to the Adama-Thrace car and gallantly retrieved the exhausted couple’s bags for them as Laura was getting acquainted with the baby. She looked up, surprised, when Bill set the bags in the foyer and suggested that Zak and Kara go get comfortable and rest in the guest bedroom while he and Laura entertained Ariadne for a few hours.

“Let me just get her bottles in the fridge and show you what to do,” fussed Kara, “then I will be more than happy to take you up on that offer.”

“She’ll probably need to eat in about an hour,” Zak added. “Then burp her and rock her, she’ll probably nap again.”

Once the complex details of the bottle-burp-nap battle plan had been adequately conveyed, Zak and Kara reluctantly kissed their daughter and trudged up the stairs. Laura looked in amusement at Bill bestowing butterfly kisses on the tiny baby and the baby’s delighted reaction.

“You are such a natural, Bill.” Laura placed a hand softly at his back as she joined him in admiring the precious bundle.

He grinned. “Always wanted a daughter. I thought for sure Zak was going to be a girl.”

Bill and Laura took the baby outside, thinking the pleasantly warm fresh air would do her some good, and proceeded to walk her around the newly lush garden, planted with a mixture of vegetables and annual and perennial flowers. Laura reached for her, and Bill transferred the baby carefully into Laura’s arms. Once she was securely settled, Laura whispered to her. “I am getting married right here in a few weeks, and I am so glad you will be there!”

“What are you telling our granddaughter, Ms. Roslin?” Bill asked playfully.

She smiled at him guilelessly. “Just that grandpa’s girlfriend is looking forward to being Mrs. Adama soon.”

The baby began to fuss and whine quietly, and Laura inhaled suspiciously. “Okay. I guess it’s time for lunch.” She handed the baby back to Bill with a smirk and started back toward the house.

“Oh, Laura, hey. Why are you giving her back to me?” Bill asked, even as he hoisted the baby up sufficiently to sniff for a clue.

Laura turned and gave him an incredulous look. “Don’t be obtuse, Commander,” she said lightly.

Back inside, Laura set to readying Ariadne’s bottle while Bill begrudgingly performed the first grand-parental diaper change. “Just like riding a bike,” he crowed to the baby as he fastened the adhesive tabs securely.

Laura overheard his proud proclamation. “That’s why I had you do it, Bill,” she called from the kitchen. “I’ve not had to change many diapers in my day, you know.”

Bill picked up the baby and joined Laura in the kitchen. “I’ll teach you. The trick is to practice now, while they’re too little to roll around and really give you a hard time of it.” He kissed her cheek encouragingly, imbuing her with his easy confidence.

Laura tested the temperature of the milk on the inside of her wrist. “I think this is ready. Do you want to feed her?”

He shook his head. “No, why don’t you? That’s the fun part. I’ll do the burping.” He laughed at his absurd final statement. “You know what I mean.”

Bill followed Laura into the living room and, once she was seated comfortably on the wide leather couch, lowered Ariadne into her waiting arms. The baby quickly latched onto the bottle, sucking with gusto and occasionally losing contact with the nipple, causing her to make incredibly cute little gaping fish faces.

Chuckling, Bill admonished Laura gently. “I know it’s funny when she does that, but it’s bad for her to suck in air while she eats.”

Laura looked up, stricken. “Oh! I didn’t realize.”

He placed his hand over hers on the bottle and made a slight adjustment to the angle. “See, you want to keep it upright so she only gets milk. Too much air, either through the bottle or because she misses the nipple, and she’ll get an upset tummy.”

Laura shook her head. “I’ve never really been a baby person. Didn’t have any of my own, didn’t have the chance to become an aunt, never taught kids younger than six. But this little girl makes me willing to revisit that idea.” She cooed at the baby and rocked her gently, speaking in high-pitched tones. “I will learn about baby things for you, Ariadne, yes I will.”

After another ten minutes Ariadne lost interest in the bottle and Laura, concerned about air intake, handed her off to Bill for burping. He’d spread soft cloths on both shoulders, and Laura laughed. “You look like you’re ready for battle, honey.”

He nodded. “It is a battle, of sorts. Did you not notice Zak’s shirt?”

As if on cue, Ariadne spit up, the wet spot spreading in an irregular pattern across his shoulder, and Bill turned to Laura smugly. “See?” He eased up from the couch and paced around the room as he patted her tiny back with his middle three fingers. Ariadne let out occasional cries of discomfort, but for the most part was calmly and effectively regurgitating her meal.

Finally there seemed to be no more vomit forthcoming from the tiny being, and Bill moved his patting hand from her back to her bottom. The tone of Ariadne’s cries had changed ever so slightly, and Laura surprised herself by picking up on it. “She needs another change, huh?”

“Mmm-hmm,” came Bill’s soothing affirmation. “No poop this time, so we’ll let you give it a try.” He set the baby down on the plastic-backed changing pad that was set out on the carpeted floor along with diapers and wipes.

Laura warily kneeled down before her. “Okay. What first?”

Bill sat cross-legged beside Laura. “First, get the new diaper ready.” He removed one from the package next to him and pulled out the folded sides before handing it to Laura, who placed it next to the baby. Ariadne’s eyelids grew heavy and Bill’s voice dropped. “Oh, good. Sleeping babies are the easiest to work with, you are really lucking out here.”

“How nice of her to make a good impression on grandma,” Laura murmured. “So I unfasten these tab thingies next?

Bill nodded and handed her a wipe. “Exactly.”

Laura peeled back the tabs, heeding Bill’s warning to be sure to stick them back against the frictionless surface whence they came, and pulled back the front of the diaper. “Oh gods, how did it go...everywhere?”

He shrugged while Laura daubed and wiped the baby’s skin. “That’s good. Push the used wipe into the fold of the dirty diaper and lift her legs up a little bit so you can slide it out from under her.”

Laura complied with his instructions and tried to pass him the dirty diaper. “Oh no, this is part of the process, too.” At Laura’s crinkled nose and silent pleas, he gave in. “Fine. Just this first time, though.” He showed her how to roll up the dirty diaper and fasten the tabs tightly around it.

Laura was able to put the fresh diaper on the baby with minimal input from Bill, her tongue peeking out from between her teeth as she concentrated on the task with a singularity Bill had only previously seen in association with her work. By the time Laura had smoothed down the tabs and re-fastened the snaps to her jumpsuit, Ariadne’s face had fallen slack and her breathing soft and even.

“That’s it?” whispered Laura, studying Ariadne intently. “That wasn’t too bad.”

Bill leaned over the sleeping baby and kissed Laura. “Well done, my love.” He rocked back on his heels and carefully picked the baby up. “You go wash up. We’ll be on the couch.”

When Laura returned to the living room a few minutes later, her chest fluttered at the sight that greeted her. Bill’s eyes were closed, his face relaxed and entirely content, and his body leaning diagonally into the corner of the couch. The baby was tucked between his body and his arm, the latter supported by the couch’s side.

Laura traced Ariadne’s perfect round cheek with her fingertip and leaned over to brush her lips gently against Bill’s. He cracked open one eye and minutely tilted his head toward his lap in an invitation.

Grinning, Laura sat down next to him and curled her legs up on the unoccupied section of the couch before lowering her head into his lap. She could not see the baby from her position, but could hear her quick tiny breaths, a reassuring rhythm that did as much to lull Laura into the same quasi-slumber Bill was in as much as Bill’s gentle mindless stroking of her hair.

Some indeterminate amount of time later, Laura slowly came back to consciousness. Her lids felt too heavy to open and she didn’t hear the baby crying, so she opted to just listen for clues as to what might be going on in the house. Her head was definitely still on Bill’s lap; Ariadne’s breaths, while slower now, were still those of a slumbering infant and not an awake or demanding one.

The tell-tale click of a camera shutter brought Laura’s brain up to a slightly higher level of functionality, but still she chose to retain the appearance of sleeping rather than disturb the serenity of the moment.

“She’s so cute when she’s quiet,” Laura heard Kara’s reverent whisper.

“I know!” Zak whispered back. “Why won’t she do this for the two of us?”

Bill’s voice, thick and slow with sleep, rumbled out an answer from behind Laura. “Grandparent magic.”


	4. Wedding Bell Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not everything goes as planned at Bill and Laura's wedding.

Laura paced around the bedroom anxiously. Sunlight streaming in through the blinds cast abstract patterns for her feet to follow along the plush carpet.

“You are my partner in life and in love,” she muttered, tapping the stack of index cards against her hand as she recited the words written on the top card. Satisfied that she’d committed the line to memory, she tore the card in half and tossed it to the carpet with a flourish. She sipped lukewarm coffee before starting on the next one. “From a most inauspicious beginning, we soon came to a mutual admiration and understanding...”

After another half hour of pacing, reciting, and tearing, the floor was covered with her wedding vows, and Laura was confident that she’d be able to get through them later that afternoon without stumbling. She laughed to herself, imagining Bill in the room down the hall she’d relegated him to for wedding preparation purposes and wondering if the floor of his hobby room was now covered in broken pencils.

They’d woken up early and made slow, lazy love as the sun rose, both amazed that this day had finally come for them. They drank coffee and ate fruit and toast on the back patio, looking out over the already-set up backyard. Then, after they cleaned up breakfast, she’d marched him upstairs and temporarily kicked him out of the master suite, helping him move his freshly laundered dress grays and toiletries down the hall. “I don’t care if we see each other before the ceremony,” she explained, “but I do want you out of my way while I get ready to be a bride, all right?” He’d just given her an indulgent smile and kissed her before turning on his heel and heading into the guest bathroom to shower and shave.

Now it was time for her to get ready. She’d briefly considered making an appointment to get her hair blown out at a salon, but ultimately decided that her shoulder-length cut would look best styled as she always did it, fluffy and loose. She had turned on the tap to let the water warm up and started unbelting her robe when the doorbell rang.

“You have got to be kidding me,” she grumbled. She turned off the shower and listened for a moment. It sounded like Bill was still running the shower in the other bathroom. The doorbell chimed again.

“Frak.” With a sigh, she wrapped the short, silky robe tightly around her and padded down the stairs. She glanced through the side light and saw a young man with brown hair and familiar blue eyes. He wore jeans and a Fleet-issue sweatshirt, and carried a garment bag across his shoulder. It had to be Lee.

Fixing a smile on her face, she opened the door. “Hello?”

Lee looked taken aback. “Um...hi. I’m looking for my father?”

Laura opened the door wider and held out her hand. “Hi, Lee. I’m Laura Roslin. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He shook her hand limply and crossed the threshold into the house, closing the door behind him. “Is he around?” he asked, looking her up and down with barely veiled curiosity. Laura couldn’t help but be pleased to note that he seemed somewhat impressed in his evaluation.

“Well, Lee, he’s in the shower right now.” She gestured to her attire. “I’d been planning on taking one, myself. It’s kind of a big day for us.”

He at least had the decency to look slightly ashamed. “I’m sorry I didn’t respond to your invitation. It has nothing to do with you.”

Laura softened; the young man looked fairly miserable. “I’m sure Bill will be pleased you decided to come.” Her eyes narrowed. “You _are_ here to attend the wedding, yes?”

Lee flushed. “If you’ll have me.”

She gave him a sympathetic smile. “Why don’t you set down your bag and make yourself comfortable here in the living room, all right? Feel free to read the paper or watch the vid. I’ll run upstairs and let him know you’re here.”

He nodded slowly and looked around the airy room. “Thanks.” He moved to the couch and gingerly sat down on the edge of the cushion.

She shook her head to herself as she went to go inform Bill that his estranged son had shown up after all. Reaching the top of the stairs, she observed that the shower had stopped running. She knocked on the door to the guest bathroom. “Honey?”

The door opened, and Bill grinned at her as he wiped off the last traces of shaving cream from his face with a hand towel. “Missed me already?” he asked, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into the bathroom with him.

She nuzzled her cheek against his now-smooth one and perched against the edge of the vanity, placing a hand against his bare chest when he leaned in to kiss her neck. “Your son is downstairs.”

“I thought Zak and Kara weren’t going to come until right before the ceremony.”

“Not that son. _Lee_.” She drew out the single syllable. “He just showed up on the doorstep. Says he wants to be here for the wedding. He apologized for not letting us know he was coming.”

Bill’s face had cracked into the smile she’d hoped this news would engender. “Wow. I have to admit I’m surprised.” He cocked an eyebrow as he considered her attire. “Sorry you had to meet your stepson for the first time wearing a bathrobe, Laura.”

“It’s all right. I seem to recall that I was wearing pajamas the first time I met Zak, too. At least my introduction to Lee took place at our house and not a hospital.” She slid her hands along his flanks, fingers toying with the towel slung low around his waist. “Why don’t you get dressed and go downstairs and talk with him? I really do need to get ready. The caterers will be here in an hour, and the priestess an hour after that...”

He leaned in for a lingering kiss. “And an hour after _that_ , you and I will finally be married.”

Laura was breathless. “Mmm-hmm.”

“Go. Get ready.” He gave her a gentle push toward the door.

“Yes, sir.” She grinned at him over her shoulder as she took her leave.

Bill’s eyes followed the sway of Laura’s hips down the hall to the master suite until she shut the door behind her. He straightened up the guest bathroom to make it suitable for the guests who would inevitably end up using it later in the day and went to go put on some clothes. He hurriedly slid on his gray uniform pants and a set of tanks, leaving his feet bare and his tunic on its hanger for now, and made his way downstairs. It was time to talk to his son.

* * *

Lee looked up when Bill reached the landing. “Hi.” He stood awkwardly with his hands clasped before him, apparently waiting for an “at ease” instruction.

“Lee. I’m glad to see you,” Bill said.

“I wasn’t sure you would be. We haven’t talked--”

“No, I’m happy you came. I’d like for you to get to know Laura.” Bill held out his right hand, and when Lee took it, draped his free arm over Lee’s shoulder and clapped him twice on the back. “You are always welcome here. _Always_. I mean that.” Bill eased down onto the couch and gestured for Lee to join him. “So. What’s going on?”

Lee shifted uncomfortably in the corner of the couch. “For one thing, I’ve decided to leave the Fleet. My five years of service are up next month. I’m going to do some traveling, then go to law school on Libran.”

“Your grandfather would’ve loved to see you do that. He always tried to convince me of the superiority of diplomacy over military force, but I never wanted to listen.” Bill smiled at his obviously nervous son. “You’ve served the Fleet well, Lee. You’re a fine pilot. I’m sure you’ll be a fine lawyer, too.”

“What happened to, ‘a man’s not a man until he wears the wings of a Viper pilot’?” Lee reminded him tersely.

Bill sighed. He’d never live that down. His ex-wife used to like to throw that line in his face, too. “I never should have said that. I realize now that what was right for me wasn’t necessarily right for you and Zak.” Lee looked skeptical, but Bill continued, eager to take advantage of this opportunity to finally clear the air with Lee, impending nuptials notwithstanding. “When I was growing up, all I could think about was becoming a Viper pilot, joining the war effort. So I did.

“But things are different now. That stuff about ‘being a man’ having anything to do with flying a Viper is crap. I’ll be the first to admit that some of the best Viper pilots I’ve seen are women. Kara could kick my ass in a dogfight. Probably yours, too.”

Lee gave a stilted laugh at that. “Yeah, she’s something, all right.” He looked wistfully at his hands, subconsciously flexing them as if to control invisible thrusters.

“I think it’s great that you both have other opportunities available to you,” Bill said earnestly. “And I can see now that I didn’t seem very accommodating even just a couple of years ago. I think I just had trouble relating to you guys when you were growing up because I was off-world so much of the time.”

Lee seemed to relax at Bill’s pronouncement. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you,” he admitted. “Or about coming here at all.”

“So what made you change your mind?”

“Zak. Kara. The fact that they’d had a baby I’d never met. The family’s changing. You’ve found someone to spend your life with. Someone who’s closer now to Zak and Kara than I am.” He ran a hand through his short hair. “Talking with them convinced me I should try to get things right--with them, with you.” Lee took a steadying breath. “Dad, I’m sorry...”

“Son, there’s nothing to forgive. You’re here now. That means everything.”

Despite Bill’s blanket pardon, Lee persisted. “I’ve been less than civil to you for years, Dad. I always blamed you for being the bad guy in your and Mom’s divorce, held it against you.”

“Your mother and I weren’t right for each other. She had a lot to deal with, and not enough attention or help from me.” Bill’s face was sad in remembering his failure as a husband.

Lee shook his head. “No, Dad. Mom’s controlling and unstable. More than a little crazy. I get that now, but I didn’t for a long time. I blamed you for her being that way, and for leaving us with her, and I shouldn’t have.”

“Maybe not,” Bill conceded. “But I should have been around more for you, Lee. And your brother. I wish that I had.”

“When I saw you in your command at the decommissioning, and from what I heard about you on the _Pegasus_ from people who had served under you, I resented that you seemed more like a father to your crew than you ever did to me.” Lee shrugged. “And at that point, Zak had flunked out of flight school. But instead of being a failure, suddenly he had the girl of my dreams and the old man’s approval.” He flopped back into the couch unhappily.

Understanding dawned on Bill. He’d had no idea that Lee had ever been interested in pursuing Kara, but suddenly Lee’s estrangement from both him and Zak over the past two years suddenly made a lot more sense. “Ah.”

“I was jealous of Zak, so it was hard to be around or to talk to him. I knew Kara before he did, did you know that? I actually introduced them.” He laughed bitterly. “Worst mistake of my life, though I guess it would have happened eventually, anyway.”

“It wasn’t easy for him after Kara flunked him,” Bill said gently in defense of his younger son. “He had to find a new path for himself after thinking he would be following you. He looked up to you so much.”

Lee seemed to accept that. “Anyway...it was hard for me to do, but Kara asked me to consider coming out for the wedding and staying with them for a couple days. So I put in a request for emergency shore leave, Admiral Cain granted it, I caught up with Zak and Kara yesterday, and”--he gestured around him--”here I am.” He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Nice place, by the way. A lot better than that dump you used to rent.”

Ah. The rat-trap apartment he’d mercifully left behind when Laura agreed to his suggestion that they move in together. Bill chuckled and rose from the couch, extending a hand to pull Lee up too and embracing his son when he stood. “You’ll be just fine, son,” he said. When they parted, Bill noticed Lee’s garment bag. “You brought something to change into for the wedding?”

Lee nodded. “Yeah, Zak and Kara will be here shortly, I told them I’d keep an eye on Ariadne while they helped you and Laura get ready for the wedding. I figured I’d just change into my suit here, if that’s all right.”

“Of course," Bill said, before Lee's intention sunk in. “No uniform?” he asked noncommittally. “I’m wearing my grays, at Laura’s request. It’s a bit too formal, but your blues would be appropriate.”

Lee shook his head. “Nah. Time to start getting used to life outside of uniform.”

“All right, then. I’ve gotta go start putting the rest of mine on. You can use the room with the crib in it upstairs to get ready. It’s usually Ariadne’s room, but I don’t think she’ll mind sharing with you.”

Lee grinned, this time a genuine smile, at the mention of his niece. “Yeah, she and I seem to be getting along just fine so far. I can’t believe how tiny she is, though. I haven’t been around many babies before.”

“Funny, Laura said the same thing.” Bill walked over to a bookshelf and grabbed a picture of Laura sitting in a rocking chair with the baby snuggled against her chest, both of them wearing blissed-out expressions, and proudly showed it to Lee. “My two favorite ladies."

"Cute," Lee allowed.

"But Laura caught on to the baby care thing pretty quickly. You will, too.”

Bill looked at the watch he was suddenly glad he’d remembered to slip on, the one his father had given him shortly before he died. It informed him that the caterer should be arriving in fifteen minutes. “I’m sorry Lee, I really do have to finish dressing. Make yourself comfortable.”

“Is there anything I can do in the meantime, Dad?” Lee looked around the quiet house expectantly. Though tidy and well-appointed, it did not have the appearance of imminently hosting an elaborate event such as a wedding.

Bill picked up on the cause for his son’s puzzlement. “Most of the wedding and reception will be happening in the backyard; everything’s already set up out there,” he explained. “Feel free to take a look around if you'd like. Just take care of answering the door for us if anyone else shows up, okay?” Lee nodded his assent.

Just as Bill got to the top of the stairs, the doorbell rang. He hovered for a moment, waiting to see whether it was the caterers, but proceeded down the hall to finish dressing once he recognized Zak and Kara’s voices mingling with Lee’s, all overshadowed by the occasional squawk from the youngest wedding guest. He hovered by the door to the master bedroom for a moment and briefly considered jumping Laura in the shower, or at least filling her in on his conversation with Lee, before deciding against either option in favor of getting dressed; there’d be plenty of time for that later.

He was just about to close the door to the guest room to begin putting on his tunic, braided sash, and various medals, when he heard Lee exclaim, “Kara Thrace, what have you done?!”

 

* * *

 

Zak gently swayed from side to side, holding Ariadne in the crook of his arm so she could see what was going on. Both father and child were amused as they watched his brother’s reaction to the item they’d hauled with them up from Delphi.

Lee’s eyes were huge as he looked out the open front door. “Oh my gods, Kara. It’s huge!”

“I measured,” she said defensively, wiping her hands on the front of her navy sheath dress and frowning at the exertion it had required for her and Zak to lift the item in question out of the flatbed of their pickup truck. “It should be able to fit through the door, no problem.”

Bill and Laura’s front yard held a metallic sculpture, about four feet wide and nearly as tall. “It looks kind of like a...snowflake. Or a dandelion. Maybe an asteroid,” Lee guessed.

Shrugging noncommittally, Kara said, “It’s abstract, Lee. Whatever you see in it, it is.”

Lee squinted hard. “Is that a Viper wing going through the middle of it?”

“Part of one, yeah.” Kara grabbed his elbow and dragged him out to the front yard, Zak and the baby following once Zak dropped off the diaper bag he’d been carrying in the foyer. The foursome stood around the sculpture and Kara pointed out some of the pieces that comprised the work.

“Lots of Viper parts, some Raptor, other random scrap I found around the deck at the Academy. They’re used to my scavenging, some of the deckhands even put stuff aside for me,” she explained, fairly beaming with excitement.

Lee touched his open palm against several of the pointed ends of the pieces extending from a central core hidden from view. Kara hadn’t painted the metal; many of the pieces showed the age and stresses of decades of aero- and astronautical use.

“Some of your best work, Kara,” Zak said proudly. “Dad and Laura will love it.”

"I've seen your apartment...it's not very big. Where the hell were you welding, Kara?" Lee asked.

Kara laughed. "In the basement of the coffee shop. Very carefully."

"We should probably move this thing into the house," Zak suggested. "Lee, do you mind taking her?"

Lee gingerly accepted Ariadne into his arms. She was dressed up for the occasion in a pale yellow dress and frilly bloomers over her diaper. Having overheard the Adama-Thrace family's "what should we all wear" conversation the previous evening, Lee knew Kara had drawn a line at the goofy lace headband that had come with the baby's tiny dress. Zak had argued that it looked cute on her, but Kara overruled him: "It looks stupid. Everyone will be able to tell she's a girl from the dress, anyway. Those headbands are for babies who are bald, and our girl's got her daddy's hair."

So lost was Lee in the adorableness of his niece as his fingertips stroked her unadorned ebony hair that he barely noticed Zak and Kara hoisting the sculpture and coordinating their steps to walk it into the house. He followed at what he deemed a safe distance in case their efforts should go awry and send the pointy object out of their control. Although it was awkwardly shaped and clearly unwieldy, it seemed the Viper wing piece made a serviceable handle for them to hold onto.

They maneuvered carefully through the front door and into the foyer. "Where are you putting it?" Lee asked.

"Library," Zak huffed. "Kara, let me walk backwards...to the left. No, my left. Watch the edge of the rug here."

“I got it, Zak.” Another doorway was conquered without too much damage to the trim, and Zak and Kara set the piece down in front of the bay window overlooking the backyard. Kara high-fived her husband, and he came back down low. “Nice.”

Inspired, Lee held up Ariadne’s wrist with one hand and high-fived her with the other before turning his attention back to the sculpture, now settled in its new surroundings. “It’s so well-balanced,” Lee said, observing the asymmetrical lines emanating from the center. He walked up to it and gave the thing an experimental push with the hand that wasn’t holding a baby. “The base isn’t that wide, yet it’s very stable for how big this thing is.”

“It’s actually a lot lighter than it looks; a lot of the pieces are hollow, or thin but curved,” Kara said. “But yeah, it took some trying to get it to stand up straight and evenly distribute the weight. My scale, protractor and I spent a lot of time together.” She fumbled around in the pocket at her hip. “I almost forgot!” She handed one end of a length of wide blue ribbon to Zak and together they circled the structure, threading the ribbon through the protrusions and meeting back at the part of the sculpture first visible from the door. Kara tied the ends together in a big bow and arranged it artistically to nestle against metal.

“Perfect,” Zak decreed, taking his fussing daughter back from Lee. “I think this one needs a nap before the festivities begin. I’ll take her upstairs and see if she settles down.”

“‘Kay. You might wanna grab the diaper bag from the foyer and take it up with you, Nugs.”

Zak nodded agreeably and left with the baby curled up on his chest; she'd ceased her mild crying as soon as the handoff was made. Lee narrowed his eyes at Kara. “ _Nugs_? Really?”

She shrugged, blushing slightly. “I called him that way back when he was still a nugget at the Academy, but it only really stuck after I washed him out and he wasn’t getting drug-tested any more.”

Lee shook his head in wonder; he really had been out of touch. That thought was interrupted by the chime of the doorbell.

“I’ll get it,” he quickly told Kara, relieved to not have to spend any more time alone with his brother’s wife. She looked at him skeptically and followed him out of the library.

Bill beat them to the door, muttering, "This better be the caterers. They're late." Noticing Kara, he gave her a quick hug and kissed her cheek. "Hey. You look lovely."

"Never would have happened without your almost-wife's advice," Kara smirked. "Laura took me shopping last week, remember?"

The navy color and modest cut of her dress were faintly militaristic, her crystal pendant necklace and red lipstick anything but. The sleeveless style revealed the large tattoo on her upper arm. She'd complained to Lee the night before about the futility of primping, but she appeared fairly pleased with herself after successfully undergoing the groom's scrutiny.

Bill looked out the side light and didn't recognize the young man standing on the stoop. He opened the door. "Yes?"

"My name is Stewart Jaffee. Um...I'm a friend of Louis Hoshi."

"The caterer. Where is he?" Bill asked. "He and Felix were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago."

"He's...well, he's at my family’s restaurant at the moment, sir," Jaffee said nervously. Bill’s appearance seemed to be commanding the appropriate level of respect.

“Why’s that?” Bill looked over Jaffee’s shoulder, helplessly hoping the white catering van would be pulling up any minute.

The messenger spoke very fast, obviously not relishing his duty. “You see, sir, Felix Gaeta seems to have dumped Louis, personally and professionally. This morning Louis went to go to the restaurant to start working on your order. The doors are barred. He’s been completely locked out.”

“Son of a bitch!” Kara interjected. Jaffee nodded, and continued poor Louis’s tale of woe.

“Felix left a note on the door; apparently he’s gone with his lover to Gemenon. Cleaned out the business’s bank accounts, too. Louis came to me, asked if I could help him out. So he’s over at our restaurant, a Tauronese place on Larchmont--Buffet of the Bull? He’s cooking what he can put together for your reception and sent me over with some hors d'oeuvres, asked if I would do the prep work here and let you know what was going on.”

Laura and Zak came down the stairs, chatting quietly to each other, but stopped when they stepped down to the landing and saw three dropped jaws surrounding an open front door.

“Honey? What’s going on?”

Bill turned around and took in the sight of his bride. Despite the unfortunate news he’d just been given, he couldn’t help but break out into a grin; the grin she’d been unable to resist. He took a few short steps in order to rest his hands gently at the sides of her waist.

“You are so beautiful,” he said in a soft, low growl intended for her ears only.

Behind an oblivious Bill, Kara and Lee stepped outside to talk to the visibly shaking Jaffee. Zak stepped daintily around the couple to join them and closed the door behind him.

“You like?” she asked. Eyes sparkling, she toyed with the gardenia tucked behind her ear and stepped back slightly, awaiting his assessment.

Her cream-colored silk dress fell to her knees in a flouncy A-line. The pleated bodice crossed over her breasts in a deep V and was just as low-cut in the back, he could see when she twirled around once for him. Simple wedge sandals--”practical for an outdoor wedding,” she’d pronounced them when she showed them to him a few weeks earlier-- and the silver bangle she always wore completed the ensemble.

“Oh, I definitely like.”

“Good. And you already know how I feel about you and your dress grays, but allow me to inform you anyway that you are incredibly handsome.” She lightly danced her fingers along his sash and toyed with the tunic’s single button. “So tell me what just happened that had the three of you looking so shocked.”

“Problem with the caterers. They broke up.”

Laura frowned. “Really? Felix and Louis? They seemed like such a happy couple.”

“Apparently Felix has locked Louis out of C-by-Sea and gone off to Gemenon.”

“Motherfrakker!” Laura swore.  She'd always liked Hoshi better.

“Louis sent some food over and someone who’s helping him out. The guy says Louis is throwing something together for us at his family’s restaurant. That Tauronese takeout place.” _That you don’t really like_ , he didn’t add, but it hung in the air between them anyway.

Laura tried not to let herself get upset. “They were supposed to take care of the bar, too. Buffet of the Bull doesn’t even have a liquor license.”

Bill thought for a moment. “We can send the kids out for booze. Or I’ll call Saul and ask him to do it.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “So it’ll be a little more casual than we were aiming for. As long as we get to exchange our vows, I’ll be happy.”

“You’re right.” She kissed him, a firm, chaste peck so as not to smudge her lipstick. “Tauronese takeout it is.” She thought wistfully of the sole in lemon caper sauce, mushroom ravioli, prime rib, and strawberry shortcake they’d so deliberately decided on, and shook her head to get the delectable images out of her mind. Noodles would have to suffice.

Hand in hand, they walked out to the front stoop, where the kids were watching Jaffee unload a pallet of fruit and vegetables from his car. “He have anything else to say?” Bill asked them.

“Not really,” Kara said.

“We told him we’d give him some help with the prep work,” Zak added. Lee shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

Bill placed a hand on Laura’s arm. “I’m going inside to call Saul.”

She smiled. “Okay. I’ll show this young man around the kitchen. Hi, I’m Laura,” she said to Jaffee as he approached the stoop. Zak took the pallet from Jaffee so he could shake Laura’s proffered hand, and they all followed him into the house. Bill alone went into the library to use the phone.

He stepped into the room and was briefly dazzled by the sunbeams reflecting off steel, aluminum, and titanium planes. “Kara Thrace,” he said softly to himself, looking over the unexpected addition to the decor. “What have you done?”

 

* * *

 

“Anyone home?” Saul Tigh bellowed as he let himself in through the front door. “I heard there’s a wedding going on here today.”

He carried a case of ambrosia in his arms and was trailed by his wife, who carried one of champagne.

Bill came out of the kitchen with Ariadne nestled comfortably in the crook of his left arm. “Hey, Saul. Thanks so much for getting the booze for us, really helped us out.”

“No problem, Bill.” Saul eyed the infant suspiciously; she cooed and made spit bubbles at him. “Where do you want me to put it?”

Bill nodded his head toward the kitchen. “In here is fine for now, we’ll want to set up the bar outside eventually.”

Saul set his own box down and took Ellen’s from her so she could receive Laura’s embrace and the ladies could exchange their customary air-kiss.

“You look fabulous, darling,” Ellen told Laura. Laura just smiled and inclined her head slightly in acknowledgment of the compliment. Bill wrapped his free arm around Laura and pulled her closer to him, giving her a squeeze.

Saul looked around the kitchen, taking in the tactical situation like the soldier he was. Kara and Zak wore aprons over their finery and were assisting Jaffee in fixing crudite platters and a cheese plate, while Lee was listlessly loading the dishwasher. “Uh...Lee. Want to come help me with the rest of it?” Saul said.

Lee closed the dishwasher door and snapped to attention. “Yes sir.”

“What do you mean, ‘the rest of it’?” Bill asked Saul. “I told you there are only going to be about a dozen people.” He indicated the twin cases of booze lined up next to the door to the patio. “This is two bottles per person right here!” He looked down at the baby he was holding. “Actually, Ariadne doesn’t count. So, _more_ than two bottles a person.”

Saul shrugged as Ellen started opening the boxes. “Wanted to be prepared, I guess. Nothing worse than a party that runs out of liquor.” He followed Lee out of the kitchen.

Bill leaned closer to Laura’s ear. “Leave it to Saul to bring enough liquor to bring down a herd of elephants,” he muttered under his breath.

Laura giggled. “Or one Ellen Tigh!” she whispered, side-eyeing to the skinny blond who was currently stuffing the freezer full of champagne. Ariadne gurgled her agreement.

When Saul and Lee returned with forty pounds of ice and a case of Scorpian whiskey, a third person, her short stature enhanced by her purple turban, had joined their ranks.

“Elosha!” Laura cried, embracing her friend. “Oh my gods, this just got real.”

Smiling serenely, Elosha greeted the couple she’d been enlisted to marry, then was introduced to the rest of the room. “You all don’t look very ready for a wedding,” she said wryly, taking in Lee’s grubby sweatshirt and the complete mess covering the kitchen island.

“We’ll get there,” Kara said firmly. “Though Lee, you do look like hell. Go get dressed, we’ve got this under control.”

“The nursery’s free, bro,” Zak smirked.

Lee opened his mouth as if to defend himself, but just took his leave, nodding to his father and Laura as he headed upstairs.

“I’m ready for a drink,” Ellen announced. “Ambrosia, anyone?”

“Zak, why don’t you help Ellen and Saul set up the bar out on the patio,” Laura suggested. “And Kara, can you show Elosha around outside, give her the lay of the land for the ceremony?” She stopped and thought for a moment, taking a quick peek at Bill’s wristwatch. “If anyone shows up for the wedding, could you all please help them to a drink and have them wait out in the yard?”

“Now that’s my kind of wedding,” Saul said appreciatively to Zak and Ellen. Elosha looked nonchalant at the bride’s unorthodox instruction.

“Wilco, Madam Secretary,” Kara said, giving her hands a quick wash in the sink and looking out the window into the yard. She wiped her hands on her apron and walked over to Bill, taking a crying Ariadne from him and patting her back as she made soothing shushing sounds.

“I noticed something in the library that I want to show to Laura,” Bill informed Kara.

“Oh yeah. Glad you found it.” Kara grinned. “Let me know what you think.” Ariadne had calmed, and Kara waved for Elosha to follow her out the back door. “Right this way.” Zak and the Tighs stepped outside as well.

“Louis just texted me,” Jaffee spoke up for the first time since he’d begun his frenzied preparations in the kitchen, his eyes trained on the Caprican squash he was carving into a bowl to hold the dip he’d just whipped up. “He’s got a couple hot entrees and sides ready to go and is just waiting for the rolls to rise so he can bake them and bring everything over.”

“Oh good,” Laura said, smiling. While she wasn’t the worlds’ biggest fan of Tauronese noodle dishes, finding the texture unpleasant, she did enjoy that cuisine’s yeasty, slightly sweet rolls flecked with herbs. Moreover, the quiet young man was doing them a huge favor by stepping in to help in the face of Felix’s perfidy, so it wouldn’t do well to insult his family’s culinary specialty. “Thank you, Stewart.” She turned to Bill. “Honey? What’s in the library?”

He offered his arm. “Let’s go find out.”

Bill could barely suppress his excited expression as he led Laura to the other side of the house. Kara had really outdone herself with this project, and managed to have kept it a secret from them as well. He wouldn’t have guessed that Kara and Zak had it in them to keep such a major undertaking under wraps for as long as they must have done, especially given the amount of time Bill spent over at their place. He opened the door and placed a hand at the small of her back to lead her in before him.

“Oh my gods,” she gasped, her eyes wide. “Kara...?”

Bill nodded in affirmation.

“This is amazing,” she enthused, “simply perfect for this room. Better than anything I could have ever imagined.” Laura circled around the sculpture, taking in its unusual angles and examining its component parts, trailing her finger along the festive blue ribbon. “She made this out of pieces of spaceships?”

“Looks like it to me,” Bill said. “That main diagonal piece that goes the whole way through is definitely a Viper wing; I’d know that shape anywhere.”

Laura inspected the piece in question more closely. “Bill, I think it says something here.”

Bill stood close to her and peered over her shoulder. “I don’t believe it.” He laughed, the sound nearly maniacal. “I don’t even want to know how she pulled that off!”

“Bill, what?”

“It’s the nameplate off my Viper...the one that was part of the collection of Viper Mark IIs on the _Galactica_ museum.”

“Lieutenant Husker?”

“That’s the one.”

Laura traced her fingers over the discreetly placed rectangular nameplate. “That’s really something. From what I recall of the decommissioning, it was unusual enough that your crew had discovered your old ship to begin with, right?”

“It’d been rusting out in a shipyard on Scorpia.” He walked over to his desk and picked up the photograph his crew had given him that day; his boys, eight and ten years old and in awe at seeing their father at his work. He brought the photo over to Laura so they could look at it together and compare it to the nameplate unobtrusively worked into the sculpture.

“Looks like the same thing to me,” Laura said after a moment. “Gods, Bill. That’s incredible.” She took a step back to admire the piece at a distance. “ _This_ is incredible.”

“A fitting testament to the celebration that’s happening here in,” he checked his watch, “twenty-five minutes.” He stepped behind her so he could wrap his arms around her tightly as they both admired the way the light interacted with the metal planes. “I knew by this time last year that I never wanted to be apart from you,” he confessed in a husky whisper.

She twisted in his arms to face him. “I was battling cancer...sick, self-absorbed, and we had most of our dates either at the hospital or at my house. I was a terrible girlfriend! How could you have known even then?”

“It wasn’t your fault your body mutinied against you,” he insisted stubbornly. “I always saw you for who you are, Laura.”

“I know,” she said, leaning into him so they were connected at hips and forehead. “That’s one of the many things I love about you.”

“Besides,” he continued, “once you got better, we had no problem making up for lost time.” He rubbed his hips against hers suggestively.

“Another one of the many things I love about you,” she rejoined. “Husker.”

They couldn’t help but grin at each other, both at the endearment, and the knowledge that their new piece of art contained a part of Bill’s past. Really, part of their shared past; the surreptitiously procured nameplate was emblematic of the circumstances that had brought them together in the first place. Laura threaded her fingers with Bill’s and gave his hands a squeeze. “You ready to do this?”

His kiss was all the answer she needed.

 

* * *

 

Laura and Bill walked hand-in-hand out to the sunny backyard, intentionally avoiding the disastrous kitchen area. Though the invitations had said two o’clock and it was still a quarter to, it appeared that all of their guests had arrived already. Laura skimmed the small crowd sitting at the two round tables they’d purchased for the event. Zak, Kara, Lee, and the baby sat at what appeared to be a de facto “young people’s” table, joined by Laura’s former assistant Billy and Bill’s former communications officer Dee. Though she and Bill were both retired now, it was nice to have people from their old positions here to celebrate with them. She knew Bill had been pleased to run into Dee in Zak’s coffee shop and find that she was on shore leave so he could extend the last-minute invitation.

At the second table, Ellen was comfortably draped across Saul’s lap, an array of full beverages before them; they’d brought out the big guns and dispensed with the bar entirely by just bringing the bottles straight to the table. Opposite the Tighs sat the priestess Elosha and Laura’s friend Marcy. Laura had been a bit embarrassed that “her” invitees amounted to just three people, including the officiant, but she was glad her old friend from her teaching days had been able to make it.

Light jazz music played through speakers set up by the bar; Zak had volunteered to take care of the music arrangements and had compiled a playlist for the reception and, it seemed, the pre-reception. He’d taken the couple’s preferences for oldies befitting the youthfulness they felt at getting married into account, but had requested more latitude for later in the reception. “It’ll be fun, I promise,” he’d winked. Laura hoped they wouldn’t regret delegating the task to the irreverent young man.

Crossing the lush yard, Laura headed straight for Kara, pulling the younger woman up out of her seat when she reached her. “Thank you,” she said, embracing Kara tightly. “It’s absolutely perfect.”

“I’m glad.” Kara blushed slightly. “Did you notice the personalization?”

Bill took his own turn giving Kara a grateful hug. “We did,” he rumbled. “You’re a woman of many talents, Kara.” He pulled away. “How in the worlds did you get a hold of that nameplate?”

“Galen Tyrol owed me an old Triad debt. I had him make a new one so he could swap out the replica for the real one.”

“The Chief, huh?” Bill raised an eyebrow. “I’ll have to give him my thanks.”

“He’s mustered out, living on Picon doing contract work in R&D for the Fleet. Got married to Boomer, he told me they’re expecting a kid. He couldn’t believe I’d had one myself.”

Ariadne’s jarring wail interrupted the update. Lee, clearly uncomfortable with the squalling bundle in his arms, looked around desperately for relief. Bill laughed and took pity on his son. “Here. Give ‘er to me.” He held out his arms, and Ariadne quieted as Bill began to croon at her.

“Grandparent magic,” Laura said knowingly to Kara. Bill really did have a way with the baby. She guessed it had something to do with his deep, calming voice. Of course, his unmitigated adoration and endless patience where she was concerned helped, too.

As Bill tended to his granddaughter, Laura greeted Billy and introduced herself to Dee, noting that Billy seemed quite transparently smitten with the lovely young woman in the aquamarine sundress that matched her eyes. She turned to the other table. “Marcy!” Laura bent down to hug her friend.

“You look radiant,” Marcy told her. “I never thought I’d see you settle down, Laura.”

“Oh, we’re already settled,” Laura laughed, gesturing to the house and yard behind her. “This is just a formality. So I can technically be ‘grandma.’” She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Bill and Ariadne. “Bill didn’t like it when we found out that Zak and Kara were expecting and I told him I’d just be ‘grandpa’s girlfriend.’” She shrugged. “So...a party seemed appropriate.”

“Well, congratulations,” her friend said sincerely. “Everything looks beautiful.”

As Laura surveyed the yard, she had to agree. Bill and Zak’s countless hours of labor had paid off in the form of bountiful garden beds and blooming bushes. They’d used flowers from the yard for the centerpieces, big bunches of brightly colored gerbera daisies. Gauzy white drapes hung from the sides of the ivy-covered pergola adjoining the patio and swayed gently in the breeze, creating a dramatic backdrop for their imminent exchange of vows.

“Are you just about ready, Laura?” Elosha asked, standing up and gathering her scrolls.

Laura looked at Bill, who was swaying back and forth as he sang softly to Ariadne. “If Ariadne allows,” she said dryly.

“She’ll be fine. Won’t you, Ariadne,” Bill asked the baby as he tickled her chin. “Everyone, if you would please join Laura and me over this way as we exchange our vows--”

“It’ll be a short ceremony,” Laura added quickly in response to some of the mild grumbling that ensued.

Laura and Bill led the way over to the patio, standing before the small table they’d placed there for Elosha to set the scrolls on. Their guests gathered around them in a semi-circle, with Elosha behind the table, and Zak stepped forward to take Ariadne from Bill.

Ariadne, who had been perfectly content in Bill's arms, began to scream the second she was shifted away from him. She was too young to be able to really cling to him, but it was clear to all involved that if she had weighed more than eleven pounds, she would be gripping Bill's arm and not letting go.

Zak placed her on his shoulder and rubbed her back in small circles. "Does she need to eat?" he asked Kara desperately over their daughter's wails.

Kara shook her head. "You were there, Zak. You know she had a whole bottle ten minutes ago."

"Probably just gas," hiccuped infant non-expert Ellen Tigh.

Kara shot her a dirty look. "Thank you, Ellen," she said as she look Ariadne from Zak and took her own attempt at soothing the baby.

Laura bit back a smile, taking in the scene and deeming the stress of the situation completely unnecessary. All she wanted was to get married, and she didn't particularly care if Bill was holding a baby while they did it, if it meant Ariadne would stay quiet. She tugged Bill's sleeve. "Honey, why don't you just hold her?"

"Really?" he said doubtfully.

"Yes. I bet she'll quiet right down for you." Laura reached over to pluck the baby from Kara's arms and place her in Bill's. As Laura had predicted, Ariadne immediately stopped crying and even gave a contented sigh.

Laura raised an eyebrow at Bill, a silent _told you so_. He just shrugged with his free shoulder and adjusted Ariadne in the crook of his right arm as he turned to face Laura before their friends and family. Once she was settled, Laura nodded to Elosha for her to begin.

“Life here began out there,” Elosha started. “This is a tenet of the Scriptures. But it very literally applies to Bill and Laura’s relationship. They met in space, only to pursue this terrestrial life together. They now seek to declare their spiritual intentions to one another, cementing their bond for all time.”

Kara and Elosha led the crowd in the traditional response. “All this has happened before. All this will happen again.”

“Laura, Bill, you may now exchange your vows.” Elosha stepped back respectfully so that she wouldn’t be in the photographs Zak was positioning himself to take of the exchange.

Laura took a deep breath and reached out to take Bill’s free hand in both of hers. “You are my partner in life and in love,” she began, her voice strong and clear. “From a most inauspicious beginning, we soon came to a mutual admiration and understanding of one another.” She smiled, remembering just how quickly that initial understanding had been achieved. “At a time when I was alone and facing a bleak future, you came into my life and made it worth fighting for. You fought for me when I could not, showed me compassion, and gave me hope for a life I didn’t think was possible. And that is why I take you, before the gods and our family and friends, to be my husband, and I give you all that I am as your wife.” She withdrew one of her hands to wipe away a stray tear.

Bill shifted Ariadne against his chest and squeezed Laura’s hand before beginning. “I never believed in the gods,” Bill started, looking apologetically at Elosha before turning his attention back to his bride. “But, Laura, you are my goddess. You made me believe--in you. You made me believe that with you, I stood a chance of happiness in this next phase of my life. And today, you make me believe all over again, by taking me as your husband, and consenting to be my wife. I’ll never be free of you, nor do I want to be. For you are what I am. All that is, and should always be.”

Laura felt herself verging on tears again; he’d used that passage, from _Love and Bullets_ , to first tell her how he felt about her back when she was undergoing her treatments one year ago. It was perfect. Not waiting for an instruction from the officiant, she leaned in toward him. He caught her cue, and brought his lips to hers for a passionate kiss only dampened slightly by the infant between them.

Elosha had removed a length of cord from the sleeve of her robe, and held it up as Bill and Laura broke apart. “By the power invested in me as a priestess of the Lords of Kobol, as recognized by the sovereign authority of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, I bind you as husband and wife. Bill and Laura grinned at each other as Elosha wrapped the cord around their wrists, lashing Laura’s right to Bill’s left one, as his right hand was otherwise occupied. Elosha tied off the knot and raised their bound wrists as they turned to face their guests. “I now pronounce you grandma and grandpa,” she laughed, as everyone applauded the happy couple.

Zak and Kara rushed up to congratulate them first, crushing them into a group hug before Kara relieved Bill of his tiny burden. “You were so good up there, baby!” she told her daughter.

* * *

 

At last, their guests had left. Elosha and Marcy had headed out fairly soon after dessert, probably for lack of appropriate dance partners. The kids and the Tighs had kept the party going strong for hours more, fueled by the supply of booze that had constituted the Tighs’ wedding gift and Zak’s increasingly inappropriate dance music. Bill and Laura had been content to snuggle on the porch swing, alternately gazing at the stars and watching their loved ones have fun under the fairly lights. Lee seemed to be the only one having a poor time of it, trying to get Dee to dance with him and shuffling awkwardly around the much taller Billy. By the time Dee and Billy had left together, Lee was drowning his sorrows with the Tighs, and ultimately just Saul, who was drinking straight from the bottle with a passed-out Ellen slumped against him, while Kara and Zak danced and sang on the patio, occasionally trying, without success, to get Lee and Saul to join them.

Around midnight, designated-driver (“DD and DJ!” as he kept reminding everyone) Zak had packed the Tighs off into a cab before loading up his own truck with a sleeping Ariadne, softly drunk Lee, and still-exuberant Kara and heading home to Delphi. “See you lovebirds in a couple of days when you’re ready to come up for air,” he’d called in salutation, smirking as he waved goodbye.

Exhausted, but incredibly content, Laura had waited at the foot of the stairs for Bill to turn out all the downstairs lights, then gasped when he eyed her predatorily and swept her off her feet and into his arms. He trudged up the stairs methodically, careful not to bash her head into the wall as Laura held on for dear life. “That was nice, honey,” she commended him once he crossed the threshold of their bedroom and gently set her on her feet.

She kicked off her shoes in the general direction of the walk-in closet and turned to her husband, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Are you happy, Mr. Roslin?” she purred in his ear as she slid a hand down his chest and expertly flicked open the single button to his uniform.

“Never happier,” he promised. “Mrs. Adama.” His fingers traced over her cheekbones and trailed down the back of her neck until they found her dress’s zipper. He started to pull it down, but with her arms still playing at his chest he couldn’t get very far. “Turn around, Laura.”

She complied, giving him a wicked grin before turning to face the bed. For the first time, she noticed that someone had brought the two floral centerpieces up to their room and placed them on the twin nightstands. There was also a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice, along with two glasses. Laura groaned at the sight; they’d both had their fill earlier in the evening.

“What?” Bill asked as he drew the zipper down.

“Just noticing that someone’s been up here...equipping us for our wedding night.” Laura ignored Bill’s lazy thrust of his hips against her ass, too curious about the card she noticed on the nightstand next to her side of the bed. She slipped out of her dress, letting it pool at her feet, and sauntered to the nightstand in her bra and panties to investigate.

The card was addressed “To the Lovebirds!” with a drawing of two Vipers flying in formation on the upper right side of the envelope and two birds on a branch decorating the lower right. “Looks like another wedding present,”she said, sitting on the edge of the bed and patting the space next to her. “Hopefully something better than that toaster Lee gave us.”

Bill quickly shucked his tunic and pants before joining her on the bed. “Go ahead, open it,” he urged.

Laura pulled a card out of the envelope, and three joints spilled out onto Bill’s lap, one dangerously close to the gap of material at the fly. They both started laughing.

“Zak,” Bill said, gathering up the joints off his boxers and examining them closely. “Has to be.”

Laura opened the card and started reading. _”Dear Dad and Laura, I figured you might benefit from some herbal relaxation after all the stresses of wedding planning. You are a beautiful couple and deserve all the happiness in the worlds. Happy 0th Anniversary to you both. Love, Zak.”_

Bill laughed and contemplated the joints in his hand with interest. Laura plucked them from his light grasp and set them back on the bedside table, along with the card.

“Later,” she said firmly, moving to straddle him. “I’ve got plans for my husband tonight.”  



End file.
